Motion proposed by Councillor Lay and seconded by Councillor Crooks:
“Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council notes that:
· Most workers employed by local authorities including HBBC are paid using nationally agreed rates of pay referred to as NJC rates
· Basic pay for local government workers on NJC scales has fallen by 21% since 2010 in real terms due to the government’s public sector pay policy
· Local government workers covered by NJC scales also had a three-year pay freeze from 2010-2012
· Local terms and conditions of many local government NJC employees have also been cut, impacting on their overall earnings
· NJC pay is the lowest in the public sector
· Job evaluated pay structures are being squeezed and distorted by bottom-loaded NJC pay settlements needed to reflect the increased National Living Wage and the Foundation Living Wage
· There are growing equal and fair pay risks resulting from this situation.
This council therefore supports the NJC pay claim for 2018, submitted by the local government employee unions; UNISON, GMB and Unite on behalf of council and school workers and calls for the immediate end of public sector pay restraint. NJC pay cannot be allowed to fall further behind other parts of the public sector. This council also welcomes the joint review of the NJC pay spine to remedy the turbulence caused by bottom-loaded pay settlements.
This council also notes the drastic ongoing cuts to local government funding and calls on the Government to provide additional funding to fund a decent pay rise for NJC employees and the pay spine review. Without extra funding, measures to address pay restraint will not be possible.
This council therefore resolves to:
· Call immediately on the LGA to make urgent representations to Government to fund the NJC claim and the pay spine review and notify us of their action in this regard
· Write to the Prime Minister and Chancellor supporting the NJC pay claim and seeking additional funding to fund a decent pay rise and the pay spine review
· Meet with local NJC union representatives to convey support for the pay claim and the pay spine review.”
Minutes:
Councillor Lay, seconded by Councillor Crooks, presented the following motion which was printed in the agenda:
“Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council notes that:
· Most workers employed by local authorities including HBBC are paid using nationally agreed rates of pay referred to as NJC rates
· Basic pay for local government workers on NJC scales has fallen by 21% since 2010 in real terms due to the government’s public sector pay policy
· Local government workers covered by NJC scales also had a three-year pay freeze from 2010-2012
· Local terms and conditions of many local government NJC employees have also been cut, impacting on their overall earnings
· NJC pay is the lowest in the public sector
· Job evaluated pay structures are being squeezed and distorted by bottom-loaded NJC pay settlements needed to reflect the increased National Living Wage and the Foundation Living Wage
· There are growing equal and fair pay risks resulting from this situation.
This council therefore supports the NJC pay claim for 2018, submitted by the local government employee unions; UNISON, GMB and Unite on behalf of council and school workers and calls for the immediate end of public sector pay restraint. NJC pay cannot be allowed to fall further behind other parts of the public sector. This council also welcomes the joint review of the NJC pay spine to remedy the turbulence caused by bottom-loaded pay settlements.
This council also notes the drastic ongoing cuts to local government funding and calls on the Government to provide additional funding to fund a decent pay rise for NJC employees and the pay spine review. Without extra funding, measures to address pay restraint will not be possible.
This council therefore resolves to:
· Call immediately on the LGA to make urgent representations to Government to fund the NJC claim and the pay spine review and notify us of their action in this regard
· Write to the Prime Minister and Chancellor supporting the NJC pay claim and seeking additional funding to fund a decent pay rise and the pay spine review
· Meet with local NJC union representatives to convey support for the pay claim and the pay spine review.”
In presenting his motion, Councillor Lay praised staff and referred to pay increases being frozen or very low for at least seven years.
Councillor Hall agreed with the sentiment but felt that the wording should be amended to deal with the matter locally rather than making representations to the government. He explained that over the last two years, the minimum pay had increased by 6.5% and the current employers offer that had been issued earlier in the week was recommending a 2% increase for all staff and a greater increase for the lowest paid. He also felt that changes to taxation had benefitted lower paid staff. He proposed an amendment to the motion which was not accepted in accordance with council procedure rule 17.3.
An amendment was proposed by Councillor Bray and supported by both Councillors Lay and Crooks as mover and seconder of the original motion that the motion be delegated to Councillors Crooks, Hall and Lay to agree on a form of wording which included the original motion and incorporated relevant parts of Councillor Hall’s suggestion. It was agreed that this would be agreed as soon as possible.
RESOLVED – the motion be supported with the agreement of the exact wording delegated to Councillors Crooks, Hall and Lay.