Issue - meetings

Councillor T. Fidler did not participate or vote on this item due to a conflict of interested in the matter.

Council considered the recommendation of the Cabinet on the Pay Award 2021/22.

The proposed pay award of 0.75% to all staff, including those on personal salaries and apprentices, and an additional 0.25% for scales 1 to 3 had been subject to consultation and negotiation with Unison and was made to help attract and retain staff.

Council also considered the deletion of scale points 8 and 9 from scale 1, as there was only a £4 difference between these points, and a one-off non-consolidated payment of £100 (gross) to all staff (excluding casual workers) in recognition of the hard work, dedication and additional efforts staff had made to ensure services were delivered as usual during the pandemic

Councillor J.R. Sexton proposed an amendment to the motion, seconded by Councillor R.A. Smith-Ainsley, to cap the pay award up to and including managerial grade 2 and to remove the one off payment for all staff.

A recorded vote was conducted on the amendment, as requested by Councillor A.J. Mitchell, which FELL with the results as follows:

FOR (4)

Sexton, Smith-Ainsley, Spoor and Vinson.

AGAINST (30)

Attewell, Barnard, Barratt C, Barratt R, Bateson, Beardsmore, Boughtflower, Brar, Buttar, Chandler, Doerfel, Doran J, Doran S, Dunn R, Dunn S, Gething, Grant, Harman, Harvey H, Harvey I, Islam, Lagden, Leighton, Madams, McIlroy, Mitchell, Nichols, Noble, Rybinski and Sider.

ABSTAIN (1)

Saliagopoulos.

A recorded vote was conducted on the original recommendations as requested by Councillor J. Sexton with the results as follows:

FOR (31)

Attewell, Barnard, Barratt C, Barratt R, Bateson, Beardsmore, Boughtflower, Brar, Buttar, Chandler, Doerfel, Doran J, Doran S, Dunn R, Dunn S, Gething, Grant, Harman, Harvey H, Harvey I, Islam, Lagden, Leighton, Madams, McIlroy, Mitchell, Nichols, Noble, Rybinski, Sider, Spoor.

AGAINST (4)

Saliagopoulos, Sexton, Smith-Ainsley and Vinson.

ABSTAIN (0)

Resolved to approve the 2021/22 pay award and deletion of scale points as follows:

1.    0.75% to all scale points including personal salaries and apprentices;

2.    An additional 0.25% for scales 1 to 3;

3.    A one-off, non-consolidated payment of £100 (gross) to all staff (excluding casual workers), and

4.    The deletion of scale points 8 and 9 from Scale 1

Councillor R. Noble

To consider the report on the Spelthorne pay award for 2021/22 and make a recommendation to Council.

Cabinet considered the Pay Award 2021/22 report noting that a number of consultation meetings had been held with UNISON and an agreement had been reached. 

Cabinet agreed that to award less or no pay award would affect the motivation and retention of staff and if they did not remove scale points 8 and 9 from Scale 1 lower paid staff would receive a less meaningful incremental increase. 

Resolved to recommend  that Council approves the 2021/22 pay award and deletion of scale points as follows:

1.    0.75% to all scale points including personal salaries and apprentices;

2.    An additional 0.25% for scales 1 to 3;

3.    A one-off, non-consolidated payment of £100 (gross) to all staff (excluding casual workers), and

4.    The deletion of scale points 8 and 9 from Scale 1

Reason for decision:

As a result of moving to local pay on 1 April 2019, the pay award for 2021/22 is to be decided by full Council.

The pay award is made to help attract and retain staff and is in recognition of their ongoing hard work and dedication in supporting the Council’s services.

The one off payment of £100 was in recognition of the additional efforts staff had made to ensure services were delivered as usual during the pandemic.

The deletion of the scale points is to remove the discrepancy of a minor increment between scale points and to allow for a fair incremental increase between each point.