15 July 2008
Whilst some council services will inevitably be disrupted on Wednesday and Thursday, Wales’ councils are putting in place plans to mitigate the impact of the strike.
Steve Thomas, WLGA Chief Executive said:
“Inevitably some front-line services are going to be affected this week with the most likely being refuse collection, schools and adult social care, but local authorities are doing everything possible to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum, preparing contingency plans and appropriate staff cover where possible. This will ensure that vital services provided to the most vulnerable in our communities are maintained. We urge members of the public to contact their local authority for the latest update on services affected by this week’s industrial action.”
“There is little appetite for industrial action by the Welsh local government workforce, with many staff indicating that they would prefer to work, and reports of union resignations. All this has led to considerable uncertainty over staffing levels which might have made the potential impact of the strike seem greater than it is.”
“We have already offered a 2.45% pay increase, which is above the 2.4% average increase in councils’ funding from the Assembly Government; we are putting more money into pay increases than councils received from the Assembly Government. The strike will have no impact in making additional money available above what the employers have already offered. Therefore, our position remains the same - this is our last and final offer; there is just no more money available. The settlement on the table is affordable for the council taxpayer and will also make sure that local government continues to be an attractive place to work. If the pay settlement is any higher, then councils will be forced to make the unpalatable choice between cutting frontline services and laying off staff. Neither unions nor employers want to see this happen.”
“In addition, there has been some recent media coverage quoting Welsh local authority unallocated balances of £143m. This only amounts to 2.3% of the gross expenditure of Welsh authorities and is a meaningless argument to this debate. Local authorities have to maintain a level of balances in line with audit guidelines. Balances are built up by authorities for a number of reasons such as providing replacement schools and other large capital projects, as well as helping authorities deal with emergencies such as the cost of job evaluation and equal pay settlements. Any take from a local authority balance should be used as one off and not as a legitimate or effective solution to a long term issue such as pay.”
Notes to Editor
The results of a survey carried out by the Local Government Association show that approximately 325,000 people of the 1.3 million local government workforce affected by the pay dispute will take part in strike action on Wednesday and Thursday.
Ends
For more information contact: Natasha Weeks