THREE unions representing 1.4 million local government and school staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland presented employers with an inflation-busting pay claim for 12.7 per cent today.

The GMB, Unison and Unite said a significant pay award from the start of April is vital after years of local authority spending cuts and pay restraint.

Unison head of local government Mike Short said: “Council and school workers keep communities safe, educate future generations and look after the most vulnerable.

“Councils can’t function without staff. Many workers are struggling to make ends meet and, unless they are paid properly, more will quit for better-paid work elsewhere.

“Employers must make a decent pay offer. The government needs to invest properly in the local government and school workforce to ensure important services are fit for the future.”

The unions argued that staff working in local government have seen the value of their wages cut by 25 per cent since 2010.

GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison said: “[These are] school support staff, refuse collectors, traffic wardens, social workers and more: the people who suffered from the government’s failed austerity policies and were on the front line of the pandemic.

“It’s time local government employers gave workers a proper pay rise that will make their lives better.”

Unite national officer Clare Keogh said: “The time for excuses is over. Local government workers have seen their wages plummet in real terms in the last dozen years.

“They need a pay increase that not only matches inflation but also begins to offset years of pay erosion.

“Low pay impacts on essential council services, with workers leaving in their droves to secure better paid and less demanding jobs elsewhere.”

The joint pay claim covers refuse collectors, librarians, teaching assistants, care workers, cleaners and catering staff providing vital community services.