More than 350,000 members of staff employed by the Local Government Association (LGA) have accepted an offer in which they will be paid an extra £1,925 this year.
The unions Unison, GMB and Unite have been negotiating pay for the majority of the local government workers over the last few months. The award, which is the highest offered to the staff in more than a decade, will be backdated to 1 April 2022 and averages out to around 7%. The lowest-paid will receive a 10.5% increase and those at the top will see a just above 4% rise.
The pay offer also includes a 4% increase to allowances backdated to 1 April, the removal of the lowest point on its pay scale and a one day increase in annual leave for all employees, which comes into effect on 1 April 2023.
While this offer almost meets the government’s target of the minimum wage hitting two-thirds of median earning by 2024, which is estimated to be around £10.70, those on the lowest three points of the pay scale will be below the living wage rate of £10.90.
Mike Short, national secretary for local government at Unison, said: “Unison members voted clearly to accept this pay offer, and it will come as a welcome relief to many of our members, particularly those who are lower-paid, that it has been agreed before the holiday period. Our immediate priority, now, is to get the money into the pay packets of workers as soon as possible, to help deal with the rapidly rising cost of living and move into the next pay round.
“We know there is much more to do, as this pay settlement is still below inflation and we will be looking to submit a pay claim for 2023 as soon as practically possible, so the employers have no excuse for delaying making an offer next year.”
A spokesperson for Local Government Employers added: “The employers are pleased that agreement has been reached. Councils will be working hard to get the pay increase, and backpay, into employees’ salaries in time for Christmas.”