13 January 2021 : Cllr Yvonne Atkinson’s (Alphington and Cowick) motion in support of public sector workers on behalf of Devon County Council’s Labour Group has been referred by Cabinet to be considered by February’s meeting of full Council.

Cllr Atkinson’s original motion said the Government “should not be attacking public sector workers who have done much to support the emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic.” Cabinet opted for a modified recommendation, that Council Leader John Hart should write to Devon MP’s requesting they encourage proposals which support pay parity across the public sector.

Cabinet’s motion noted “specialist areas within the Local Government workforce where professional shortages significantly impact on service delivery, such as teachers, social workers, engineers and solicitors.” Central Government funding and the public sector pay freeze announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in November’s Spending Review, are major determinants of local government’s pay negotiations with its own staff, thirty percent of whom earn below the national median wage of £24,000 per annum.

The public has shown their support for key and public sector workers by clapping during COVID-19, but according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies public sector pay is 1.5% lower in real terms than it was in 2010. Cllr Atkinson pointed out this is “making the hiring and retention of employees more difficult – ultimately harming the standards of service the council is able to offer.”

A briefing report from officers praised teachers’ response to the pandemic, “ensuring schools remained open for key workers, providing a safe haven for priority children and finding innovative ways to keep children learning,” adding “a pay freeze for teachers may exacerbate existing recruitment and retention challenges, particularly for teachers in key subject areas.”

Labour’s Cllr Marina Asvachin (Wonford and St. Loyes), a Senior Medical Technologist at Exeter RD&E, spoke in favour of the motion, urging Cabinet to “make it obvious to the public we are supporting the motion and pushing for the public sector workers to be recognised. I work for the NHS, so I can tell you how bad morale is at the moment, not just for NHS workers, but for all public sector workers.”

About Devon Labour Party: https://devon.laboursites.org

Councillor Yvonne Atkinson yvonne.atkinson@devon.gov.uk

References

Devon County Council Cabinet Webcast timecode 1:37 https://devoncc.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/518138/start_time/5650000?force_language_code=en_GB

Devon County Council Cabinet Minutes: https://democracy.devon.gov.uk/documents/g4246/Printed%20minutes%2013th-Jan-2021%2010.30%20Cabinet.pdf?T=1

Devon County Council Cabinet Officers’ briefings https://democracy.devon.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=34169

Chancellor’s spending review https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/spending-review-2020-speech

IFS report on public sector pay https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/15211

Cabinet Resolution on Public Sector Pay: 

Cabinet RESOLVED that Council
(a) recognises and is very appreciative of the work of the Local Government workforce in response to the Pandemic and also believes it is important to try to maintain pay parity across the public sector and with the NHS;
(b) notes there are specialist areas within the Local Government workforce where professional shortages significantly impact on service delivery, such as teachers, social workers, engineers and solicitors and a decline in the pay and conditions of the public sector workforce will not help with recruitment and retention and the perceived value society puts on the local government; and
(c) through the Leader of the Council, will write to Devon MP’s to request they encourage proposals which support pay parity, to ensure that the Public Sector is held in equal value and doesn’t fall behind the NHS.

Cllr Asvachin speaking for the motion said, “I’m happy with the recommendation to refer the motion to full council, but I’d like to say we need to make it obvious to the public that we are supporting the motion and pushing for the public sector workers to be recognised. I work for the NHS so I can tell you how bad morale is at the moment, not just for NHS workers but for all public sector workers.”

Cllr Atkinson’s original motion was worded as follows:

Research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed that public sector pay is 1.5% lower than in 2010 after inflation, and among the lowest levels relative to private sector earnings in decades.
That Devon County Council;
♦ deplores the governments renewed squeeze or pay freeze on public sector pay and should not be attacking public sector workers who have done much to support the emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic.
♦ considers this will seriously affect morale and services at DCC;
♦ will exacerbate difficulties with hiring workers and retaining existing employees; and
♦ agrees to write to the Government and to local M.Ps to ask it to not implement this.

Briefing Note / Position Statement from the County Solicitor / Head of Human Resources
South West Councils have confirmed the following:
The Government has no formal role in the decision about local government annual pay increases which are developed through negotiations with the trade unions. Principal authorities will be consulted to establish an Employers’ position on pay once the Trade Unions’ pay claim is submitted. This is expected early in the New Year.
In the LGA’s response to the Spending Review the following points were made:
♦ Calculations around the affordability of pay increases take full account of the financial settlement given overall to local government but this is not the only factor involved. Thus, the Government cannot automatically impose a pay freeze in local government unless it uses a legislative route to do so.
♦ This means also that the announcement of an increase of £250 for employees earning less than the national median wage of £24,000 per annum does not apply automatically for local government staff (30 per cent of whom earn below this salary), as was made clear after a similar announcement by the then Chancellor in 2010/11.
♦ The LGA will be seeking clarity on which groups of local authority employed staff such as health visitors and school nurses, if any, will be covered by the announced pay increase for health staff including nurses.
♦ Pay for teaching staff is set by a pay review body following a remit set by the Government. Teachers have been a key part of the community response during the pandemic, ensuring schools remained open for key workers, providing a safe haven for priority children and finding innovative ways to keep children learning. A pay freeze for teachers may exacerbate existing recruitment and retention challenges, particularly for teachers in key subject areas.

Minutes: https://democracy.devon.gov.uk/documents/g4246/Printed%20minutes%2013th-Jan-2021%2010.30%20Cabinet.pdf?T=1

Officers’ briefings https://democracy.devon.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=34169