You will know the Pay Agreement included a re-opener which provided 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”
Following the conclusion of the SNCT (Teachers) pay negotiations we made the argument to COSLA that it is now clear another Local Government bargaining group’s total pay offer value had exceeded that afforded to our members and that the re-opener clause had been met. COSLA were not able to demonstrate otherwise.
We were aware that COSLA leaders, in taking the decision to make the improved offer to Teachers, had already decided that “should the non-teaching unions request the re-opening of their pay settlement COSLA should approach the Scottish Government for additional funding to retain the principle of parity”.
We argued that COSLA should be bound by the re-opener and this decision of COSLA leaders and make an approach to the Scottish Government. We understand that they have now done so and we have also, along with our trade union colleagues in the GMB and Unite, written to the First Minister (attached) requesting a meeting to discuss pay parity and the wider issue of local government funding. We will let you know when we receive a response and how those discussions progress.