North-east council staff are worried about how to pay for Christmas – with some even taking out loans – as the pay-out of a hard-fought wage rise could be pushed into the new year.
Other public workers have been left facing up to another festive period thousands of miles from friends and family abroad or choosing between affording presents or heating their homes as their January 2021 wage increase continues to evade them.
Last month, GMB and Unison union members voted for the raise after a year of fierce battling between reps and Cosla, the local government umbrella body.
Aberdeenshire Council has confirmed that, despite arrangements beginning “immediately” after confirmed of a deal being done last Wednesday, it was not “practically possible” to get the money to workers in 2021.
A city authority spokeswoman said: “Every effort will be made to implement the pay award as soon as is practicable.”
“That is in line with Cosla’s ‘best endeavours’ that were part of the pay award negotiations at a national level and we continue to engage directly with local trade union representatives on the implementation at Aberdeen City Council,” she added.
Delayed council pay rise ‘particularly cruel’
One Granite City worker – being kept anonymous due to rules about speaking to the press – told us he was already struggling at the end of each month.
He said he “honestly doesn’t know” how he can afford Christmas for his two sons without payment.
In an effort to secure at least something for workers, the GMB Union has even suggested an interim payment this month to tide members over.
“It honestly was not a case of having a nice Christmas if we agree to the deal; my thinking was: ‘approve this and I won’t have to think about putting fuel, heating or power above buying presents’,” the worried father told us.
“It is really that bad and therefore it would be particularly cruel to accept the pay deal, which wasn’t enough, having been told we would get the money before Christmas and now not even get that.
“All the stress and worry of working through the pandemic and two public health lockdowns and now we’re left asking if this delay – dangling Christmas in front of us – is really the way they want to treat us after all of that?”
GMB vote was a close-run thing
He was among the 51% of GMB members backed the pay deal in a ballot that ended on November 15, and is among a number who have told us they did so on the basis the cash – backdated to the start of the year – would beat Father Christmas to them.
Balloted a week later, Unison announced last Monday, November 29 that more than 75% had backed the proposal, meaning a 3.4-4.7% bump in salary for the majority of workers.
Both unions needed to approve the deal in order for it to progress – and now there is some doubt whether the city’s workers – who worked through the pandemic while the majority of the public stayed home – will receive the money in time.
The wording of the union agreement with Cosla outlines that councils need only make their “best endeavours” to get their workers the money owed by Christmas.
Delayed council pay rise was ‘going to cover my airfare home for Christmas’
Another city council worker had intended to use the money to pay for a first trip to see family abroad since 2019, the last ‘normal’ festive period before coronavirus turned the world upside down.
He told us: “There seemed to be a sort of promise that if we voted for the deal, we would see some financial benefit before the end of the year.
“That is why I voted for a deal that I was not enthusiastic about and I know, anecdotally, that a lot of others did the same.
“I have not seen my family for two years now and I am on my own here.
“I am hoping to get back home for Christmas if I can, and the back payment was going to cover my airfare home – Covid depending.
“It is definitely not the best time of year to be shorted on money you were expecting.”
‘I’ve taken out a small loan’ to cover Christmas due to delayed council pay rise
A third source told us – having made promises and plans with his young family on the basis of having the cash – that he has now been forced to take on debt to ensure he doesn’t disappoint.
“I have taken out a small loan because once I made the plans with my family I did not want to deprive them of it,” he said.
“I will only be able to pay it off when I do get this money.
“I have always liked to work for the council, playing a part in looking after the city makes you feel quite valued, but I just feel if this rolls into the new year I would be horrified.
“This should have been set in stone with no ifs or buts about it. It is pretty poor to have so many of us vote for the sole reason of getting a better Christmas and now for it not to happen.”
Cosla did not confirm the agreement reached with the unions until two days after Unison announced its ballot result, telling councils to pay up for workers employed under Scottish Joint Council for Local Government Employees (SJC) terms last Wednesday, December 1.
GMB Organiser, Stephen Massey, has been involved in talks with the north-east authorities, trying to secure the money before Christmas.
He said: “Councils are blaming the delay on an umbrella body of which they are active members, so there is no credibility to their arguments. They have the means to ensure staff receives their pay offer now.
“These are people who deliver the services on which we all depend, they were applauded by our political leaders last year, and they are seriously struggling to make ends meet this year. It’s unacceptable.
“We can’t fix a decade of cuts to our public services in one year, but we can ease the hardship on key workers this Christmas, and ahead of this week’s draft budget, start making work better for Scotland’s lowest-paid public servants.”