Monday, July 24, 2017

Council and school workers deserve a pay rise!


As a Councillor I was sent this motion by UNISON which I support and will send to our Council Labour Group, Newham School Governors and West Ham Labour Party Branch and General Committee.  

(Please note that workers in local government and schools, pay and other terms and conditions are determined by a negotiating body; the National Joint Council (NJC) for local government services)

Personally I think that all workers should have their pay decided by joint employer and employee wage councils.

MOTION ON PAY TO COUNCILS 

This London Borough of Newham Council notes that: 

• NJC basic pay has fallen by 21% since 2010 in real terms 

• NJC workers had a three-year pay freeze from 2010-2012 

• Local terms and conditions of many NJC employees have also been cut, impacting on their overall earnings 

• NJC pay is the lowest in the public sector 

• Job evaluated pay structures are being squeezed and distorted by bottom loaded NJC pay settlements needed to reflect the increased National Living Wage and the Foundation Living Wage 

• There are growing equal and fair pay risks resulting from this situation 

This council therefore supports the NJC pay claim for 2018, submitted by UNISON, GMB and Unite on behalf of council and school workers and calls for the immediate end of public sector pay restraint. 

NJC pay cannot be allowed to fall further behind other parts of the public sector. This council also welcomes the joint review of the NJC pay spine to remedy the turbulence caused by bottom-loaded pay settlements. 

This council also notes the drastic ongoing cuts to local government funding and calls on the Government to provide additional funding to fund a decent pay rise for NJC employees and the pay spine review. 

This council therefore resolves to: 

• Call immediately on the LGA to make urgent representations to Government to fund the NJC claim and the pay spine review and notify us of their action in this regard 

• Write to the Prime Minister and Chancellor supporting the NJC pay claim and seeking additional funding to fund a decent pay rise and the pay spine review 

• Meet with local NJC union representatives to convey support for the pay claim and the pay spine review

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