The Local Government Association has offered local authority staff in England and Wales a two-year pay deal, including pay rises of up to 16%.
The pay offer, which has been accepted by trade union Unison, includes a 16% pay increase for employees on the lowest scale point six, a pay rise of between 4.3% and 15% for employees working at scale points seven to 28 and a 4.04% pay increase for staff above the current scale point 29 and including employees above scale point 49.
A new pay spine will additionally be introduced from 2019, featuring new scale points one to 43 and 2% pay gaps between scale points six and 28.
The pay deal will be implemented between April 2018 and March 2020 for 1.4 million employees, ranging from architects, cleaners, lawyers and school meals staff.
Unison has notified The Local Government Association of its decision to accept the pay offer, however it will meet with fellow trade unions GMB and Unite this week to formalise a cohesive approach. Following on from this meeting, the pay deal can then be formally accepted and implemented.
Heather Wakefield, head of local government at Unison, said: “Years of wage freezes have left hardworking council [employees] struggling to make ends meet. Following Unison’s decision to accept the pay offer, we want staff to get their pay increase as quickly as possible.
“The three unions are meeting this week to agree a co-ordinated position so agreement can be reached with the local government employers.”