Pay Policy Helps Low Paid
The Sunday newspapers report today that the Scottish government will announce a new pay policy next week - which will freeze the pay of public service workers earning more than £21,000 a year.
Now this will bring the usual howls of protest from the trade unions - who always talk a great fight about protecting the low paid - yet never take decisive action.
But the reality is that the new government pay policy is actually a big improvement for low paid council workers - because up until now they also faced the prospect of a 0% pay increase until 2013.
Earlier this year the Scottish employers (COSLA) imposed a pay freeze for all council employees for the next two years - which was reported on the blog site on 4 September 2010 (see below).
So the Scottish government is actually behaving more progressively than the council employers - who proposed a 0% increase for everyone.
The trade unions of course indulge in a lot of windy rhetoric about low pay - but would never agree to such a deal - because of the backlash they would expect from union members earning more than £21,000 a year. How typical and cowardly.
So, well done to the Scottish government - no one likes a pay freeze, but if there's going to be one - at least do something to protect the interests of the lower paid.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Dog Bites Man
Union leaders made a shock announcement yesterday - they are going to 'think' about taking strike action - over the Scottish employers decision to impose a pay deal.
Now in terms of the news agenda this is definitely in the same league as 'Dog Bites Man' - rather than 'Man Bites Dog'.
I suppose it is an improvement on a lot of windy rhetoric about manning the barricades - and the prospect of another 'winter of discontent'.
But union leaders have only themselves to blame - the employers caught them on the hop and left them looking completely flat footed.
Because with the unions refusing to negotiate seriously - the council employers simply withdrew their previous offer and substituted a new one - worth only 0.65% across the board this year - and a 0% increase (a pay freeze) for the next two years.
So trade union leaders have come back with a worse outcome - worth less than half of the offer tabled originally by the employers - and that takes some doing.
To add insult to injury - it's also a worse outcome than the settlement proposed for England and Wales - which at least makes an effort to protect the lowest paid council workers.
The unions are meeting next week to discuss the mess they've helped to create - and decide what to do next - so don't hold your breath.
But the reality is that Scotland's councils and the trade unions - have both done a great disservice to the low paid.
Now this will bring the usual howls of protest from the trade unions - who always talk a great fight about protecting the low paid - yet never take decisive action.
But the reality is that the new government pay policy is actually a big improvement for low paid council workers - because up until now they also faced the prospect of a 0% pay increase until 2013.
Earlier this year the Scottish employers (COSLA) imposed a pay freeze for all council employees for the next two years - which was reported on the blog site on 4 September 2010 (see below).
So the Scottish government is actually behaving more progressively than the council employers - who proposed a 0% increase for everyone.
The trade unions of course indulge in a lot of windy rhetoric about low pay - but would never agree to such a deal - because of the backlash they would expect from union members earning more than £21,000 a year. How typical and cowardly.
So, well done to the Scottish government - no one likes a pay freeze, but if there's going to be one - at least do something to protect the interests of the lower paid.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Dog Bites Man
Union leaders made a shock announcement yesterday - they are going to 'think' about taking strike action - over the Scottish employers decision to impose a pay deal.
Now in terms of the news agenda this is definitely in the same league as 'Dog Bites Man' - rather than 'Man Bites Dog'.
I suppose it is an improvement on a lot of windy rhetoric about manning the barricades - and the prospect of another 'winter of discontent'.
But union leaders have only themselves to blame - the employers caught them on the hop and left them looking completely flat footed.
Because with the unions refusing to negotiate seriously - the council employers simply withdrew their previous offer and substituted a new one - worth only 0.65% across the board this year - and a 0% increase (a pay freeze) for the next two years.
So trade union leaders have come back with a worse outcome - worth less than half of the offer tabled originally by the employers - and that takes some doing.
To add insult to injury - it's also a worse outcome than the settlement proposed for England and Wales - which at least makes an effort to protect the lowest paid council workers.
The unions are meeting next week to discuss the mess they've helped to create - and decide what to do next - so don't hold your breath.
But the reality is that Scotland's councils and the trade unions - have both done a great disservice to the low paid.
