Hundreds of council staff will receive more money as councillors agreed to an equal pay deal covering bank holiday working.
The deal was agreed at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting at Hove Town Hall today (Monday 18 September).
Senior councillors held a special meeting behind closed doors to discuss issues raised by the public service workers union Unison as part of a 10-year campaign for equal pay.
According to a statement by Unison issued in April, about 800 workers could receive a back payment of up to £2,000, taking the cost of the uplift to £1.6 million.
Councillors agreed that the affected staff would receive 70 per cent of the total back pay due to cover the past six years at a special meeting of the council’s Strategy, Finance and City Regeneration Committee.
They should also receive “100 per cent top-up payments to equalise bank holiday pay in future”.
Most of the hundreds of affected staff are low-paid women working in the care sector.
Labour council leader Bella Sankey said: “We have been working with our recognised trade unions to discuss an issue raised with us as to how the council’s allowance package applies to bank holiday working.
“We are committed to being a fair and equal employer and ensuring we have a paid benefits system that applies equally across the organisation.
“Whether a driver at Cityclean or a care worker looking after our elderly, the proposals we are discussing will ensure that everyone receives fair and equitable bank holiday payments while working with the council.
“Many hundreds of staff will receive an increase in their bank holiday payments as a result of the proposals being put forward today.
“We are dealing with the matter proactively as we believe it is the right thing to do for our working staff.”
Councillor Sankey added that she was keen to ensure that the back payments were made as quickly as possible.
She said: “(This) is even more important during the cost of living crisis which is why we have called a special meeting today.”
Does this also apply to Personal Assistants (PAs) employed using Social Care packages? What hourly rate has been agreed for this backpay?
If they are directly employed by BHCC and on the payroll I’d imagine so but they should check with their union rep or BHCC HR payroll to be sure. Otherwise probably not.
It’s £301 for a day, with the back pay being 70% of the difference between this and standard bank holiday pay. I’ve seen said that it will be pro rota (where I read this mentioned this with regards to workers not doing a whole day but hopefully it’ll also go the other way for workers doing longer shifts as well). I’m not sure what length day they’re basing this off.
This is really good news, and I hope this will encourage other employers to look at this as an example regarding fair pay for workers moving forward.