Published: Monday, 12th May, 2008 16:30
Council staff call off wage row
By David Moroney
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INVERCLYDE council staff have called off a strike after agreeing a pay deal with bosses.
Union members have voted to accept an offer from council bosses despite a recommendation from Unison that it be rejected.
The 1,700-strong membership had been balloted on a ‘single status’ pay deal following a job evaluation process.
Robin Taggart, UNISON’s Inverclyde representative confirmed a potential eight-day strike had been avoided.
He said: “We concluded the ballot and have a ‘yes’ vote.
“There will be no strike action from members given that result.
“UNISON had been unable to recommend the package because of some concerns over the job evaluation outcome scores.
“But members are prepared to accept what is on offer and we are moving towards implementation in August.”
Mr Taggart said the appeal process for a large number of members unhappy with their positioning on the pay grading model would now get underway.
Inverclyde Council chief executive John Mundell described the deal as ‘one of the best packages available in Scottish local government’.
He said: “We want an effective, efficient and flexible workforce, where employees are rewarded fairly for the work they do and we have worked closely with unions, who were heavily involved in shaping the proposals.
“The package represents considerable council investment and will allow us to continue to deliver high-quality services, backed up by motivated employees, in a modern, fair way.”
Mr Mundell said employees should sign and return their acceptance forms by Wednesday.
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