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06
Jun 2022
Unions call for Harrogate council staff to get £2,000 pay rise
Harrogate Borough Council staff should receive a minimum £2,000 salary increase, according to trade unions.
Unison, GMB and Unite today formally lodged the 2022/23 pay claim for local government workers.
The claim also called for a covid recognition payment, a national minimum agreement on homeworking policies for all councils, the introduction of a home working allowance and a reduction in the working week to 35 hours.
It is the start of a negotiation process with the Local Government Association, the national membership body for local authorities. The claim is for all council workers in England and Wales.
David Houlgate, secretary of the Harrogate local government branch of Unison, said council employees had seen their pay reduced by 27% in real terms over the last decade.
He added:
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Mr Houlgate said staff morale was poor and the looming abolition of Harrogate Borough Council had created extra uncertainty but the key issue was pay and recruitment. He added:
Responding to the unions' claims, Cllr Sian Timoney, chair of the National Employers at the Local Government Association, said:
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