Bridgend county councillors have backed a cross-party motion calling for a full and fair pay increase for local authority employees and school staff.
The full text of the motion is available here. In summary, the motion – which was tabled jointly by Deputy Council Leader, Cllr. Jane Gebbie (Lab, Kenfig Hill, Pyle & Cefn Cribwr) and Cllr. Alex Williams (Ind, Pencoed & Penprysg) – said:
- Council staff worked through the pandemic to the benefit of their communities and staff face effective pay cuts due to increased inflation. Without the professionalism and dedication of staff, services residents rely on would not be deliverable.
- Local government employees deserve a real-terms pay increase, funded by the UK Government.
- The council should support the pay claim submitted by UNISON, GMB and Unite on behalf of council and school workers for an increase of RPI + 2%.
- All local government workers should be encouraged to join a union.
Low pay “an existential crisis for local government”
Cllr. Gebbie said all local government staff have faced a fall in living standards since the austerity agenda pursued by the UK Government. Many have faced real-terms pay cuts as pay increases haven’t kept up with inflation and the cost of living.
Recruitment and retention of staff were becoming more difficult, with the council workforce gradually ageing too. This means low pay has become “an existential crisis” for local government.
Cllr. Williams accepted that his support for the motion may be surprising as he’s been more of a critic that a friend to the Labour administration. However, it was important to put that aside and pressure the UK Government to support union pay claims.
Council services have already faced cuts that could threaten the council’s ability to meet its legal obligation or result in services being withdrawn altogether. There’s also a cycle whereby talented staff are lost to the private sector as they can earn more through the same recruitment agencies that the council ends up becoming reliant on to fill vacancies.
Another surprise came from the council’s only Conservative member – Cllr. Jonathan Pratt (Con, Newton) – who escribed himself as a “liberal conservative”.
Cllr. Pratt supported the motion, only suggesting the Welsh Government were relevant to the discussion, not just the UK Government – a point accepted by councillors as an amendment.
The motion was unanimously approved.
