The Harrogate Borough Council branch of Unison has voted to reject a pay offer following a ballot with members.
The trade union held a ballot, which closed on Friday, over whether to accept a proposed increase of 1.75%. The offer followed a national consultation from the Local Government Association over a pay increase.
Unison officials described the offer as “derisory” and recommended members reject the proposal.
Of a turnout of 62% of its members, 74% voted to refuse the pay offer.
Dave Houlgate, Harrogate branch secretary of Unison, said it was “little surprise” that staff voted to reject the proposal.
He said:
“Staff are worn down after years of real-terms pay cuts and with inflation at nearly 4%. Despite this they’ve continued to go above and beyond during the pandemic in providing much needed services to support residents and businesses alike in the district.
“There has still been no formal public recognition for their efforts from the council but to be clear, Unison is in no doubt that council staff have been fantastic over the past 18 months or so and at the very least deserve a decent pay rise for once.”
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The Harrogate branch balloted borough council staff, while North Yorkshire Unison consulted with school staff.
The branch will now await the results from ballots across England and Wales before taking further steps, which could include industrial action.
Harrogate Borough Council have been approached for comment.
