A PROPOSAL by SNP councillors to pay local authority apprentices the Living Wage has been thrown out by a Labour-controlled council committee.

Nationalist group leader Chris McEleny called for apprentices to be awarded the minimum £7.85-an-hour standard, along with over 700 other staff who are now set to receive the rate under a plan brought forward by council leader Stephen McCabe.

Mr McEleny’s amendment to include apprentices in the scheme was defeated 7-3 in a vote after Labour members spoke out against it.

Cllr McEleny — who says that apprentices are paid as little as £2.73-an-hour by the council — today spoke of his ‘disappointment’ at the result.

He said: “As a time served apprentice and former convener of Unite young members in Scotland, the rights of apprentices have always been close to my heart.

“I decided that it was time to end this pay inequality in the council.

“It is simply unacceptable that apprentices are paid less than £3-an-hour.” The SNP man had moved an amendment to include apprentices in a motion proposed by the Councillor McCabe to pay staff the new £7.85-an-hour Living Wage.

Mr McCabe declared that apprentices should not be put on that rate of pay.

He said: “One of the dangers of giving advance notice of a motion is the opposition trying to gazump that motion.

“I don’t accept that apprentices should be paid the same rate as fully skilled workers.” Committee convener Cllr McCabe added: “Apprentices are working towards doing a job. To pay them the same rate would go down like a lead balloon with a lot of workers with this council.” He was supported by his deputy Jim Clocherty, who argued that to pay the rate could deprive people of the chance of becoming apprentices with the council.

Cllr Clocherty said: “Maybe instead of putting 10 apprentices through we would be putting nine through, and someone would lose out on a great oportunity.

“I wouldn’t want to block an opportunity for a young person to get an apprenticeship.” Fellow Labour man Terry Loughran said the council should ‘respect the national context’ of apprenticeships, adding: “It would be wrong for us to interfere with those structures.” Cllr McEleny argued: “Some apprentices employed by this council are in their 20s, and some have families to support.

“Everyone deserves the Living Wage regardless of their age and I say that everyone who works for the council deserves the Living Wage.” Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors sided with Labour on the vote on Cllr McEleny’s amendment.

The committee agreed that the council would pay the new rate of Living Wage to other workers, but not apprentices, and will backdate it to when it came into effect on 3 November.

Cllr McCabe said: “The Living Wage pays a fair rate for low paid workers.

“Now that the national rate has increased it is right that we reflect that in the money paid to our lowest paid workers.

“All families are facing tough financial circumstances where money is being stretched as far as it can go — and for some that won’t be very far.” Cllr McEleny said: “I am hurt and disappointed.

“Young people in Inverclyde deserve more, they don’t deserve a continued refusal to pay them a living wage based on their age.” Around 740 council workers will now receive the new Living Wage.