Category: Cosla Pay Offer

LG Pay Update – Revised Offer

You will see that the only change is to add £50 to the flat rate proposed for those earning below £25k per annum.  The rest of the offer remains unchanged. 

COSLA tabled a revised offer at last week’s meeting of the SJC Steering Group – this is at the bottom of the page for your information.  You will see that the only change is to add £50 to the flat rate proposed for those earning below £25k per annum.  The rest of the offer remains unchanged. 

Local Government Committee decision 

Your Local Government Committee met last Thursday to consider the revised offer and considered that this was not a significant improvement to the offer that would necessitate a further member consultation. On this basis the Committee took the unanimous decision to proceed with industrial action plans. 

Letter to COSLA 

UNISON have written to COSLA outlining the LG Committee’s decision.

SJC Revised letter of offer

Updates on LG Pay, Long Covid and Mitigation in Schools

We understand that the Cabinet secretary for Finance has agreed to a joint meeting with COSLA Leaders to discuss the funding situation for local government and that meeting is due to take place this Wednesday.

LG Pay Negotiations Update 

We understand that the Cabinet secretary for Finance has agreed to a joint meeting with COSLA Leaders to discuss the funding situation for local government and that meeting is due to take place this Wednesday.  Thereafter COSLA Leaders are due to meet on Friday, at which point it is likely they will take a view on affordability with respect to improving the pay offer following the discussions with the Cabinet Secretary.  This is the final week of the Scottish Parliament sitting before the summer recess and we have asked Mark Griffin MSP to see if he can get an urgent question laid on this issue to add additional pressure on the Scottish Government.  We will keep you abreast of developments. 

TUC webinar: Long Covid and the workplace  

The TUC is hosting a webinar discussing the results of its survey of Long Covid in the workplace, current policy relating to the condition, the related campaign priorities and what unions can do to support workers experiencing symptoms.  It’s open to all TU activists, reps and officers with an interest in the issue.  It is being held at 7pm on the 30th June and you can register here: http://msg.unison.org.uk/c/1nhZGBmZ1Qq0KNsxs5tm9 

Mitigations in Schools post-summer 

Please find attached an advice note regarding planning for mitigations in schools post-summer holidays, including in respect of the schools asymptomatic testing programme. This has been developed with input from members, including unions, of the Covid Education Recovery Group (CERG) and draws on advice from the Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children’s Issues.  

The approach reflects the current uncertainty around the Delta variant and the position post-summer, and the advice received that removal of some key mitigations in school environments is significantly easier than reintroduction.  

As referenced in the note, separate advice on ELC settings is expected to be produced and issued shortly. The ELC guidance is expected to reflect important key differences in the situation faced by schools and ELC settings, including that many ELC settings will be operating over the summer while local authority areas progress through different protection levels, and that some current mitigations result in capacity issues that will have a bearing on decisions that local authorities need to take about placements ahead of the next academic term.  

Download or View the document below:

Mitigations in schools post summer advice note June21

Local Government Letter to Councilors

Colleagues

UNISON is currently making preparations for an Industrial Action Ballot of members, following the recent pay consultation result, where 87% of those participating rejected the employers offer and 74% indicating they are prepared to take strike action.

Whilst these arrangements are being put in place – we are asking members to contact Your Council’s Leader and we would suggest using the following format, to let them know why you deserve a decent pay rise.

LET THE LEADER KNOW!

  1. About your job
  2. How your job has changed during COVID
  3. But for you – what wouldn’t have been possible
  4. Why you believe your pay should be raised
  5. If you didn’t receive the £500 COVID reward payment – how this made your feel
  6. The Scottish Government have offered other public sector workers rises beyond their own pay policy. This is unfair, at the very least parity should apply. – this is both a moral and political issue.
  7. Homeworking – The employer has refused to pay the reasonable HMRC allowance of £6.00 per week (it’s a disgrace that workers are having to pay for service delivery).

Who to contact?

Scott Farmer (SNP) as Council Leader and
Email address: farmers@stirling.gov.uk
Stirling Council, Old Viewforth, Stirling, FK8 2ET

Danny Gibson (Labour) as Depute Leader.Email address: gibsond@stirling.gov.uk
Stirling Council, Old Viewforth, Stirling, FK8 2ET

Any decision to improve the current offer will be taken by Council Leaders across Scotland.

Please take a few minutes to send this communication, it will ensure a clear message from our members is delivered directly.

IT’S YOUR PAY – FIGHT FOR IT!

Thanks
Lorraine Thompson
Branch Secretary

UNISON
 

LG Pay Update May 2021

As you will be aware UNISON wrote to COSLA Leaders last week following the outcome of our consultative ballot and in advance of their meeting on Friday 30th April.  We were hopeful that they might have factored in the strength of feeling amongst our membership and make an improved pay offer.

However, the SJC Steering Group met yesterday and were disappointed to be told that Leaders had decided not to do anything at all until the outcome of the Holyrood elections were known and a new government in place, at which point they will again ask the Scottish Government for more money for local authorities to improve the offer.

UNISON pointed out that we had been campaigning for more money for local authorities for over a year and there was little sign of movement from the Scottish Government on this issue.  We also pointed out that our members pay implementation date has been and gone and any further delay to a pay uplift, and consequential backdating, has the potential to create difficulty for members on benefits and that additionally COSLA need to be cognisant of the fact that they, rather than the Scottish Government,  are the employer.  Members can only take a dispute with their employer, not a third party, and Leaders need to be aware that two of the three SJC trade unions have members telling them that they are willing to take some form of action.

Your UNISON local government Chairs met yesterday and agreed to issue a press statement.  ‘You can read that here: 

Council workers union begins industrial ballot preparation saying staff won’t be “used as a political football”