An army of low-paid local government workers will today demand an end
to poverty pay rises by taking part in a joint union day of protest.
GMB, UNISON and Unite members will stage lunchtime protests are
planned outside council buildings and town halls across England, Wales
and Northern Ireland.
Over one million workers, from street cleaners and refuse and waste
collectors to school support and catering staff, have lost up to £3,844
since 2010, as the government’s miserly pay increases have languished
well below inflation. More than half a million workers earn less than
the living wage of £7.65 or £8.80 in London.
The unions – representing 1.6 million local government workers –
formally submitted their pay claim to employers last November,
and expect a formal pay offer later this month. The unions are seeking a
£1.20 an hour minimum increase to bring the bottom rate of pay in local
government to the level of the Living Wage and restore some of the pay
lost by higher earners.
Brian Strutton, GMB National Secretary for Public Services, said:
“The result of years of real-terms pay cuts is that a staggering 510,000
council workers are paid less than the Living Wage. Most are women in
part-time jobs. Many have to suffer the indignity of claiming in-work
benefits.
“How can it be that in 21st century Britain, public-service workers
must rely on state handouts? We are talking about frontline workers who
serve our communities day in, day out. They work as street sweepers,
social workers, classroom assistants, housing officers, cleaners, and
dinner ladies.
“All will be standing together on 4th February and demanding an
answer to this question: why are we made scapegoats for a financial
crisis we had nothing to do with? Because as Mervyn King admitted to the
TUC a few years ago, not a single trade unionist contributed to the
2008 economic collapse. The fault lay entirely with greedy bankers
cosseted by pathetic regulators.
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