Published on Thursday 02 November 2023
The process of moving all BCP Council staff onto a new pay and reward framework has moved a step forward following a collective bargaining process with the Council’s recognised trade unions, UNISON and GMB.
The new framework brings together a range of different job descriptions, grades and associated pay into one. It also aligns the terms and conditions and colleague benefits inherited from the legacy Councils.
Sarah Ray Deane, Director for People and Culture, said; "We are committed to providing equal pay and implementing a new pay and grading structure and set of terms and conditions that are fair and transparent across the council.
"Working with our recognised trade unions, GMB and UNISON we believe we have created an offer that is a good outcome despite the current financial challenges that the council is facing. We are pleased to confirm that through a collective bargaining process we have reached a position with the trade unions and they have agreed to ballot their members on this final offer. We are now working to a launch date of 1 October 2024."
Vikki Slade, Leader of BCP Council, said; "One of the most complex parts of bringing together the councils has been delivering a single pay and reward framework and has been a priority since BCP Council was first formed and I became the first leader. It is a hugely complicated process involving detailed discussions with the unions and the council’s Corporate Management Board and on my return as leader of the council I was keen that it was delivered as soon as possible. This is a positive step forward and I want to thank Sarah and her team for their hard work, commitment and tenacity in getting us this far."
The next milestone is a union ballot in the Spring and we hope to implement the new arrangements in October 2024 if the ballot outcome votes in favour of the offer.