Local authority-employed nursery workers and school support staff areamong 1.4 million local government employees who were awarded a 2.475per cent rise, backdated to 1 April 2007, and a minimum 6 perhour. The level of award varies from the standard amount for some wagelevels and areas.
Unison leaders decided last week against taking industrial action. Butthe union's head of local government, Heather Wakefield, said, 'We willshortly be submitting our claim for the 2008 pay round. Next year, weexpect the employers to end their bargain-basement treatment of ourmembers once and for all.'
The Local Government Association (LGA) attributed the low increase to arecommendation by the pay review body that public sector workers' paystay within the Government's 2 per cent inflation target, accepted bythen chancellor Gordon Brown in March 2007.
