Unions representing 1.4 million council and school workers have submitted a pay claim demanding a £ 3,000 (€ 3,629) wage increase for all employees. Trade unions UNISON, GMB and Unite argue that a substantial rise is essential after years of declining real wages and rising living costs. Local government and school staff have seen the value of their pay fall by 25% since 2010, according to the unions, with last year’s wage settlement averaging just 2.5%. This is significantly lower than the increases awarded to teachers (5.5%) and doctors (over 6%). The unions warn that without better pay, councils and schools risk losing workers to private sector jobs offering higher wages and better conditions. In addition to the pay rise, the unions are calling for a minimum hourly rate of £ 15 (€ 18.14), an extra day of annual leave, a two-hour reduction in the working week, and the right for school staff to take at least one day of leave during term time.
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For more information, please contact Paul de Beer or Oana Ciuca, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) p.t.debeer@uva.nl or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Mehmet Koksal mkoksal@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit https://www.etui.org/Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu.
You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org.