NEWS RELEASE

From the Labour Councillors on Bristol City Council

3rd April, 2014 for immediate release

Labour Concerned that Living Wage Talks Have Stalled

Labour Councillors in Bristol have welcomed news that Bristol City Council will boost the pay of its lowest paid staff for a second time in a one-off payment this year but are concerned to hear that negotiations to establish the council as a Living Wage employer have stalled. Some 4 council staff earn less that the Living Wage of !".4# per hour and the one-off payment again this year will ma$e sure all staff get at least that rate of pay for the year % &'(&4. )*he Living Wage is set in +ovember each year. Last +ovember the rate was set at !".,#(hour for the ne-t financial year. +egotiations with the staff trades unions have hit a stumbling bloc$/ with enhancements for wee$end wor$ing which some staff receive being one of the reasons the 0ayor has withdrawn from the tal$s. Labour Leader/ Cllr 1elen 1olland said2 3We have really pushed hard to get the 0ayor to see that the best and most modern employers want to give their wor$ers good terms and conditions/ but we have been clear that paying the Living Wage should not be at the e-pense of Council employees doing some of the city4s most challenging 5obs. 30ost people would accept that if you wor$ anti-social hours you should get e-tra pay/ but the real problem here is that if the council4s new terms and conditions deal is agreed some staff could be worse off even though their hourly rate has been increased to living wage levels.6 Chair of the Council4s 1uman 7esources Committee/ Cllr 0i$e Wollacott said2 3*hat is the opposite of what we want to achieve and ma$es a nonsense of all efforts to ma$e Bristol a Living Wage city with the Council leading by e-ample/ 3Labour Councillors will continue to press for the City Council to be accredited as a Living Wage employer/ but that won4t happen unless the pay rise for low-paid staff is consolidated into their salaries for pensions on the same basis as all other staff. 38n the face of it/ while the 0ayor at least now says he bac$s the Living Wage/ it loo$s as if he thin$s that lower paid wor$ers should be the ones to ta$e a pay cut to fund it. *his isn4t fair and it4s not right.6 1elen 1olland added2 3We call upon the 0ayor to re-open negotiations with the *rade 9nions/ and also to ta$e advice from the Living Wage :oundation about how to become a full accredited living wage employer and improve the wages of the council4s lowest paid staff without damaging the pay of other council staff.6

Contact: Cllr Helen Holland 0117 987 !8 Cllr "ike Wollacott 078 7 ! 1 !77
or Labour councillors# o$$ice: 0117 9

01! or 079%7 &7&8'%

Labour creating a $airer (ristol