Council workers may strike over pay offer
AUTHORITY SAYS 15% CLAIM NOT UNAFFORDABLE
WORKERS at Blaby District Council could strike over pay.
Refuse, cleansing, parks and landscaping staff at the authority who are members of the GMB union have voted to take part in industrial action.
No dates for the action have yet been announced, and the union has called for the council to get around the table for talks to stave it off.
About 55 members of staff are members of the union, Blaby District Council has said.
The union is asking for a 15 per cent pay rise, which the council said would work out at about £4,000 for the average earner, on top of a £1,925 offer made nationally by the government.
The council said that was a “significant pay rise” the authority “simply cannot afford”.
David Warwick, GMB organiser, said: “These workers in Blaby deliver essential services, keeping communities and parks clean and safe.
“With eye-watering levels of inflation squeezing the income of already low-paid workers, our members have said enough and are standing up for pay justice.
“Our members come home cold and wet after a day on the rounds and can’t afford to put the heating on.
“Instead of dealing with low pay, our members have been advised to go to food banks if they can’t afford the bills.
“These workers are worth so much more; the council needs to urgently get around the table with an offer that meets our members’ contribution to the area.”
Julia Smith, the council’s chief executive, said: “We are extremely disappointed that a small number of our staff have voted to take strike action.
“We value our staff, but as a local authority we simply cannot afford these pay increases on top of the national increase due to the financial challenges the local authority is facing. “If the national pay offer of £1,925 is accepted for 2023/24, during the last two years pay for employees delivering these services will have increased, depending on their pay grade, by between 14.6 per cent and 20 per cent.
“We would strongly urge GMB to continue meaningful discussions so we can explain what is achievable and GMB can fully inform members.
“Any locally negotiated settlement would have to be taken in the context of the council’s finances and its impact on services.
“We want to reassure residents we are putting arrangements in place to minimise the impact of any strike action.”