Strikes are off at Huntingdonshire District Council after workers accepted an improved pay offer, UNISON said today (Tuesday).
Staff including refuse workers had been due to down tools last month, but suspended action to consult on a range of new offers from council bosses.
They have now accepted a rise of 5%, backdated to April, plus a one-off lump sum of £1,000 and extra day’s annual leave.
“Council chiefs initially only wanted to increase pay by 2% despite the huge rises in the cost of living,” said UNISON Eastern regional organiser Cameron Matthews.
“Huntingdonshire Council staff have stood together and won something approaching a fair rise for the year.
“They’re worth more than this offer, but they know how important the services they provide are and didn’t want to cause disruption to their fellow residents.
“It’s now up to the council to quickly implement this rise so staff can get on with their jobs.”
UNISON Cambridgeshire County branch secretary Rob Turner added: “This is a big boost to pay in Huntingdonshire, but the council’s workers are still among the lowest-paid local government staff in the country.
“Negotiations for April 2024 start now and council leaders will need to look seriously at how they’re going to make up for years of poverty pay.”
FOOTNOTE
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union. It has more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in local government, the NHS, education, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
