Last Thursday, Forest of Dean District Council passed the following resolution.
Since 2010, local government workers have lost an average of 25% from the value of their pay. Our staff, other local government staff and school support staff are experiencing an ongoing cost of living crisis. Since 2010, the cost of living has risen by 60%; more and more local government workers have been pushed into debt, and their basic spending has overtaken their income, with 1 in 5 households having less than £100 to spare each month. This is a terrible situation for anyone to find themselves in.
At the same time, workers have experienced ever-increasing workloads and persistent job insecurity. Across the UK, the local government workforce has fallen by 30% because of job cuts, not uniquely but in many cases due to cuts from central government. This has had a disproportionate impact on women, with women making up more than three-quarters of the local government workforce.
Local government continues to show how indispensable it is. But staff are increasingly leaving the sector for better paid jobs elsewhere, for example in retail, which leaves local authorities with a massive skills gap, and vacancies in a range of key services, including in social care, education and youth services.
Local government finance is in an enormously difficult state, facing an estimated funding gap of more than £3.5 billion for 2024/25. Recent research shows that if the Government were to fully fund the unions’ 2024 pay claim, around half of the money would be recouped thanks to increased tax revenue, reduced expenditure on benefits and tax credits, and increased consumer spending in the local economy.
This council believes:
Our public workers keep our communities clean and safe, look after those in need and keep our neighbourhoods, towns and cities running. Without the professionalism and dedication of our staff, the council services our residents rely on would not be deliverable.
Local government workers deserve a proper real-terms pay increase. The Government needs to take responsibility and fully fund this increase; it should not put the burden on local authorities whose funding has been cut to the bone.
This council resolves to:
Support the pay claim submitted by UNISON, GMB and Unite on behalf of council and school workers, for an increase of £3,000 or 10%, whichever is the greater. We call on the Local Government Association to make urgent representations to central government to fund the NJC pay claim, working with the unions to present a united front in defence of the local government workforce.
We will write to the Chancellor and Secretary of State to call for a pay increase for local government workers to be fully funded with new money from central government.
We will meet with local NJC union representatives to convey support for the pay claim (fully funded by central government) and consider practical ways in which the council can support the campaign.
We encourage all local government workers to consider joining a trade union.
We all depend on the work done by Council employees. They have done nothing to deserve the pay cuts imposed on them over the last 14 years.
Please contact your Councillors and ask them to put a proposal for a decent NJC pay increase to the next meeting of your local Council.
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