UNISON's
approach
Public services can only be as good as the workers who deliver
them. Fair treatment and remuneration including pensions
are essential to motivating the workforce who will develop
new ways of working against a background of employment stability
and security. Training and workforce development are essential
to ensure that workers have the knowledge and capabilities
to respond to the needs of the public.
The complex and bureaucratic Scottish
Government pay policy should be reformed as recommended
by the Scottish Parliament Finance Committee. This includes
measures to tackle equal pay, discrimination and new bargaining
machinery for NDPBs.
BACKGROUND & OUTLOOK
The delivery of effective public services depends on the
skills, knowledge and commitment of the workers who deliver
them. UNISON Scotland believes that these workers
deserve a fair deal for improving public services and making
a real difference to local communities. We want to
make sure our members are respected and rewarded with fair
pay and conditions.
Scottish Councils have saved over £200m in the last
few years. UNISON Scotland’s members have been
instrumental in that. They have also lost around 7,000
jobs over the last two years. All we are asking is
that our members – especially the low-paid share in
the benefits that they have helped create.
Equal pay is widely recognised as the greatest destabilising
force to hit local government finance in recent years.
Despite compensation payments running to several hundred
million pounds, low paid public service workers are still
pursuing tens of thousands of equality claims.
The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government Committee
has also expressed its dismay at the slow and costly progress
towards pay equality. UNISON Scotland would like to
see more action taken to address this issue, including the
use of capitalisation. This would involve allocating
revenue costs, such as back pay from equal pay claims, to
be treated as capital expenditure. This would allow
councils to borrow or use cash from the sale of assets to
fund back pay from equal pay claims.
UNISON Scotland is also concerned that below inflation
pay will widen the gender pay gap.
UNISON Scotland has welcomed the Report on Public Sector
Pay by the Scottish Parliament's Finance Committee which
included recommendations to: ensure that low pay is addressed
properly; review pay systems and the costs of addressing
discrimination; and review controversial senior staff bonuses.
The Finance Committee stated that the process used to determine
pay for workers in public sector agencies has “further
room for improvement”. The report is critical
of delays in wage awards, and stresses the need for formal
bargaining machinery, relevant benchmarks, and local flexibility.
UNISON Scotland believes that there should be a national
bargaining framework for all Non Departmental Public Bodies.
Training and Workforce Development
Public services have to be delivered against a
backdrop of ever-changing legislation and guidance.
For this reason it is important that staff in the public
sector are fully trained and have development plans to ensure
that all staff are aware of any changes in legislation and
guidance that will impact not only on their work but also
the services that they provide.
Pensions
UNISON Scotland condemns the continuing attacks
from politicians and the media on public sector pensions.
These attacks often use misleading statements referring
to public sector pensions as ‘gold-plated’ or
claim that there is ‘pensions apartheid’ between
public and private sector workers.
However, the real pensions divide is not between public
and private sector, but between rich and poor. Public
sector pensions are not “gold plated” as often
wrongly portrayed in the media - in fact the average council
worker’s pension is around £3,800 per year while
the average occupational pension in the UK is around £8,100.
The UK Government should act to ensure that ensure every
worker – including those in the public sector - has
a decent pension scheme.
UNISON Scotland estimates the average household gets more
than £10,000 a year in benefits and public services.
Public delivery provides value for money through economies
of scale, by stopping shareholders taking profits out of
the pot, and provides democratic control allowing us a clear
say in how the services are run and delivered.
However, public services are only as good as the workers
who deliver them. UNISON Scotland believes that fair
treatment and remuneration are essential elements in motivating
the workforce who deliver our public services.
KEY QUESTIONS
What needs to be done to make action on equal pay a political
priority?
How do we make the idea of national bargaining framework
for NDPB’s politically attractive?
How do we persuade politicians that public sector pensions
are worth defending?
How do we ensure that the public sector is included in
education and training strategies?
Draft published: 5 December 2009
Current version updated: 20 January 2010
Members and branches can help to develop these
policy ideas further.
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million
voices for change - PUBLIC WORKS!
