Unions meet on pay proposal

Published on Wednesday 24 June 2009 10:22

UNION leaders will today hold a special meeting to discuss their response to proposals by the city council to modernise pay agreements for its 20,000 staff.

Trade union officials spent much of yesterday locked in discussions with the local authority and are expected to hold a special branch committee meeting today to look at how they will react to the introduction of new pay grades.

The proposals include the introduction of 12 broad pay grades, which the local authority said would lead to about 20 per cent of staff seeing a reduction in their normal pay after three years.

The council said that 80 per cent of its staff would not lose out, with around a fifth of those better off. But the package would "significantly change" pay and grading for most staff.

Union officials said details would not be known until July, when they would decide what action, if any, could be taken.

Moves to modernise and simplify pay arrangements for public sector workers are being carried out across the country.