I have today submitted a motion to the Council's Policy & Resources Committee calling for the new UK Living Wage rate of £7.85 per hour to be implemented with effect from 3 November 2014 following an announcement of the new higher rate by the Living Wage Foundation on that date.
The Council, in common with the other 31 Councils in Scotland, currently pays the previous national rate of £7.65 per hour. It is likely that the new rate will be implemented from 1 April 2015 as part of national pay negotiations but the Labour Administration would like to see Inverclyde Council implement the higher rate now rather than wait until April.
This move will benefit around 740 of the Council's employees in a range of areas, including cleaning and catering employees, school crossing patrol officers, cctv operators and clerical staff. Someone in a full-time post of 37 hours would see their pay increase by £385 a year with part-time staff benefiting pro-rata.
The cost of the proposal would be £45,000 in the current financial year and £110,000 in future years.
The Labour Administration will also be supporting moves at a national level to make the UK Living Wage rate the starting rate on Councils pay scales.
We hope there will be cross-party support for our proposal.
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Given that about half the UK's children in poverty come from working households, all Inverclyde Councillors must support this motion. It reflects real Labour values and aspirations and it makes me proud to be part of this Labour Administration. Even in these times of austerity, Labour Councillors cannot and will not ignore their duty to Council employees. Quite simply, this motion is all about doing the right thing and I hope all Councillors will do just that.
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