Unison is due to discuss the pay offer options for social workers and other care workers today, writes Judy Cooper.

Local government employers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have set out two options for a pay offer to social care workers. Their preferred option is for a 1% pay rise for all staff, but with changes to terms and conditions. 

This would include mileage rates, replacing the recourse to arbitration so that both sides need to agree to it, an additional day of annual leave and continuous service provision to be increased from five to 10 years.

The second option is for a ‘no-strings’ offer of a 1% increase for lower paid staff and a 0.6% increase for those earning higher wages.

The Unison local government national joint council (NJC) committee will discuss the options today. The joint trade union side of the NJC will meet after the Unite and GMB unions have also discussed the options on 28 February and 6 March.

Local council workers have had their pay frozen for three years. Unions had asked for a substantial flat rate increase for all staff, to help counteract the 13% pay cut most staff have had to take over that time due to inflation and living cost increases.

Heather Wakefield, Unison national secretary, noted that neither option provided “a full 1% offer in line with government pay policy and – clearly – neither goes any way at all to meeting the objectives of our claim.” She said the trade union is committed to holding an all-member branch consultation on any final pay offer.

Full details of the pay options have been sent to regional offices in a circular.