COSLA Formal Local Govt Pay Offer 19 Dec 2018

thumbnail of Formal-SJC-Pay-Offer-191218 (3)Scottish Joint Council – Trade Union Side Claim 2018/19 – Revised Employers Offer (Click here or on graphic for a PDF)

I write to advise you that at a specially convened COSLA Leaders meeting on 14 December it was agreed to make a revised pay offer to the SJC Trade Unions in the following terms: –

The pay offer is for a period of three years and covers the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2021. The award for 2018 will be backdated to 1 April 2018 application date.

The pay offer and associated elements which make up the package are as follows: –

  • 2018/19 an increase of 3.5% (capped at £80,000, on or above which a flat rate of £1600 will apply).

  • 2019/20 an increase of 3% 

  • 2020/21 an increase of 3% 

  • In each of these three years the Scottish Local Government Living Wage will rise by the percentage uplift referred to above.

  • A commitment to establish a reference group with the SJC Trade Unions to oversee the process of consolidation of the Living Wage, reporting on progress to the Scottish Joint Council. Councils should aim to achieve consolidation preferably by March 2021, however it is recognised that a small number of councils may require additional time for consolidation. Where this is the case, an agreement will be reached locally with the trade unions which will incorporate a firm commitment that any such extensions will carry a final implementation date of 2022.

  • Reaffirmation of COSLA’s policy statement on pay parity.

  • A commitment to re-open negotiations with the Trade Unions in the event of another Local Government bargaining group’s total pay offer value being revised such that it becomes greater than the sum agreed between COSLA Employers and the SJC Trade Unions for the SJC workforce for the period of the agreement.

In arriving at this three year pay offer, COSLA leaders were mindful of the desire of the Trade Union Side that any offer should include both an inflationary element and a restorative element and given the cost of living increases set out above are higher than the current and projected rates of RPI for the same period we believe this offer goes some way to achieving both of these things.

I should be obliged if in receiving this revised pay offer from COSLA Employers the Trade Union Side would undertake such steps as appropriate to ascertain the views of your respective members and in due course provide COSLA with your response.

Yours sincerely

Tom Young

SJC Employers Secretary