Social workers among local government workers who receive ‘full and final’ pay offer

Around 1.5 million council workers have been offered a pay rise of at least £1,925 from April, it has been announced.

Employers representing 360 local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland said they had made a “full and final” offer, which would add over £1 billion to the national pay bill.

Sian Goding, who chairs the group representing local government employers, said: “For the lowest paid (currently earning £20,441 per annum), the offer equates to an increase of 9.42% this year, meaning their pay will have increased by £4,033 (22%) over the two years since April 2021.

“For those on all pay points above the top of the pay spine, an offer of 3.88% has been made.

“The national employers are acutely aware of the additional pressure this year’s offer will place on already hard-pressed council finances, as it would need to be paid for from existing budgets. However, they believe their offer is fair to employees, given the wider economic backdrop.”

Rachel Harrison (pictured), national officer of the GMB union, said: “GMB has received the formal pay offer, which covers more than 100,000 members working as school staff, social workers, refuse collectors, traffic wardens and other local government workers.

“The offer amounts to a 9.42% pay increase for the lowest paid. It also includes a commitment that GMB had called for to review and refresh all school support staff roles which haven’t been updated for 10 years.

“We will now discuss the offer further with the Local Government Association.”

Unison’s head of local government Mike Short said: “Investing in the workforce is key for the future of public services. Council and school support staff certainly deserve to be rewarded for their hard work.

“But this offer falls short of the joint pay claim. Unison’s committee will now consider it and decide on next steps.”

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