Scotland's Shame

In a previous post I said that low paid council workers in Scotland have lost out big time in pay negotiations - compared to their colleagues in England and Wales.

Down south the government has introduced a public sector pay policy which means a two year pay freeze will be introduced from 2011- 2113 for all public sector workforces

Except for those earning £21,000 or less - who will receive an increase of at least £250 a year.

Now this looks similar to what has happened in Scotland - but the government backed deal in England and Wales is very different - because it goes out of its way to protect the lowest paid.

Consider what difference a £250 increase a year over two years would mean:

67% of the workforce would receive an increase - because they earn less than £21,000 a year - which just goes to show how many council workers are low paid (most of them women)

The percentage rise on Spinal Column Point 4 would be 2.06% in year 1 - or 4.1% over two years

The average increase in both years up to Spinal Column Point 23/24 would be 1.6% - or 3.2% over two years

So the upshot is that low paid workers in Scotland are due to receive a nil or 0% increase - over the two years from 2011-2012 and 2012-2013.

But over the same period in England and Wales - the average rise for low paid workers will be 3.2% - or 4.1% for the very lowest paid!

If the trade unions in Scotland had been trying their damnedest to protect the low paid - no doubt a similar deal could have been struck.

But as the trade unions had no negotiating strategy to speak of - the employers simply called their bluff - and now low paid workers in Scotland have ended up worse off.

And no amount of crocodile tears or blaming the employers - can change the fact that the unions in Scotland have made a complete hash of things .

Who'da thought?

Council employers down south (backed by a coalition government) adopting a more progressive position on low pay - than the big public sector trade unions!