Lowest paid council workers handed pay boost

Feb 17 2011 by Douglas Dickie, Hamilton Advertiser

LOW-paid council workers across South Lanarkshire have been handed a major boost after it was confirmed that the authority are to introduce a minimum wage for staff.

Councillors on the executive committee ratified the decision to hand those on less than £21,000-a-year either a wage increase to £7.16 per hour or a salary boost of £250.

The move will cost the council around £3.5million and about half of the authority’s 16,000-strong workforce are affected. The money will come from changing working practices and reducing the need for overtime.

For workers receiving a wage, the increase to £7.16 an hour will mean an annual average increase of £1100 a year for a 37-hour week.

Council leader Eddie McAvoy originally announced two weeks ago he wanted to help low-paid workers and his pledge was unanimously backed by members of the executive committee before going to the full council last Thursday.

Councillor McAvoy said: “Times are tough financially and I feel strongly it is fundamentally unfair the bankers who caused the problems still enjoy their lucrative bonuses, but people on low pay have to endure pay freezes and benefit cuts.

“I don't kid myself that this is a huge amount of money, but any increase, even a small amount, helps when people are struggling.”

Around 87 per cent of workers who will benefit are women.

Councillor McAvoy added: “This will have a positive impact on female employees as they predominately and disproportionately make up the lower paid in the council. Introducing the living wage will reduce the gender pay gap.”

The news has been welcomed by trade union, Unison, who are currently in talks with the council about how to implement the changes to working practices.

They have been campaigning nationally for a minimum wage of £7.16 for local government workers.

South Lanarkshire branch chairperson, Margaret Gallacher, said: “South Lanarkshire Council have always recognised there is an element of low pay in local government and this time they have put their money where their mouth is.

“Nationally we are still campaigning for the living wage but it is great that our council have recognised the need for it.”

She also said the changes in working practice would also benefit lower paid workers, rather than having a detrimental effect on others: “All overtime is voluntary.

“They should be hiring more people to do that work anyway. We want people to minimise the amount of overtime they have to do because the reason they do overtime is that they are low paid. If they get a decent wage they won’t have to do it.”