Sefton Council’s employees are ‘public service super heroes’ who deserve a £3,000 pay rise, according to a plea being made this week.
Cllr Paulette Lappin, the Sefton Council Cabinet Member – Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services and wants to see local government workers receive a £3,000 or 10% pay rise, whichever is the greater.
She argues that workers have lost a quarter of the value of their pay in recent years while the local government workforce has fallen by a third due to continuous budget cuts, which has had a disproportionate impact on women
Cllr Lappin, the Labour Councillor for Ford Ward, is leading a motion at this Thursday’s full Sefton Council meeting calling for support from fellow councillors.
She said: “Since 2010, local government workers have lost an average of 25% from the value of their pay.
“Our 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% as a result of job cuts.
“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, leaving 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.”
Cllr Lappin is asking councillors to back her motion, which says:
This council believes: Our workers are public service super-heroes. They 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.
- 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.
- Write to the Chancellor and Secretary of State to call for a pay increase for local government workers to be funded with new money from central government.
- Meet with local NJC union representatives to convey support for the pay claim and consider practical ways in which the council can support the campaign.
- Encourage all local government workers to join a union
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