Unions submit pay claim for 12.7% rise on behalf of 1.4 million council workers

Unison, the GMB and Unite say a "significant" award is vital after years of local authority spending cuts and pay restraint. The claim, which would apply from the start of April, is for council employees to receive a wage rise of 12.7%.

The unions argue that council employees, including refuse collectors, librarians, teaching assistants, care workers, cleaners and catering staff, deserve better pay and working conditions for providing vital community services. In their submission to employers, the unions said staff working in local government have seen 25% cut from the value of their pay since 2010.

Unison's head of local government Mike Short said: "Council and school workers provide invaluable services. They keep communities safe, educate future generations and look after the most vulnerable. "Many workers are struggling to make ends meet and unless they're paid properly, more will quit for better paid work elsewhere.

"Employers must make a decent pay offer, and the Government needs to invest properly in the local government and school workforce to ensure important services are fit for the future."

GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison said: "School support staff, refuse collectors, traffic wardens, social workers and more are the people who suffered from the Government's failed austerity policies and were on the frontline of the pandemic. "And what's their reward? Year after year of real-terms pay cuts, slowly grinding down their standard of living. "It's time local government employers gave workers a proper pay rise that will make their lives better.

"Their message is clear - we're worth more." Unite national officer Clare Keogh said: "The time for excuses is over. Local government workers have seen their wages plummet colossally in real terms in the last dozen years. Combined with the cost-of-living crisis, workers are struggling to survive financially."