The Council has approved important proposals to increase the hourly rate of pay of its lower-earning staff – in response to the ongoing Cost of Living crisis and following a review of its pay grade structure.
At the Full Council meeting on Wednesday, July 6, Elected Members considered an officer report that recommended they agree to increase the salary values for Grades 1 to 5 of the Council’s pay grade structure, coming into effect from August 1, 2022. The report also proposed the reintroduction of double time plus a day in lieu for any statutory holidays worked by staff, again from August 1, 2022. Both proposals were agreed by Elected Members.
The Council has been a Real Living Wage employer for some time – with that wage currently set at £9.90 per hour. However, from April 2022 the Council went beyond this commitment, introducing a minimum payment of £10 per hour, raising Grades 1 to 4 of the Council’s pay grade structure to this level.
With these four grades now earning the same salary, and the difference between Grades 4 and 5 reduced as a result of the new £10 minimum pay commitment, the Council agreed to a review of its lowest grades of pay.
Wednesday’s report to Full Council outlined the outcome of that review – which concluded that the most equitable option is to increase the salary of staff at Grades 1 to 5 by a total of one level in the NJC salary scale.
The result is that Council staff at Grade 4 will be elevated from £10 to £10.19 per hour, and staff at Grade 5 will be elevated from £10.39 to £10.81 per hour.
These changes will ensure a pay increase for 2,351 employees. A Grade 5 member of staff will see an increase of around £808, and those who also work Bank Holidays will see an increase of around £1,200.
Staff at Grades 1 to 3 will still earn the £10 minimum pay, which would increase with future agreement of any national pay award and uplift to the Real Living Wage. Further details are available in Wednesday’s Full Council report.
Councillor Andrew Morgan, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, said: “We understand that the Cost of Living crisis is impacting every household, and that those who earn a lower wage are hit particularly hard by the increase in costs for gas, electricity, groceries, petrol and more. These are very difficult times for some people, and the Council is doing all it can to find ways to help.
“This Council previously committed to being a Real Living Wage employer, and then agreed to go even further than this in April 2022 by setting its lowest wage at £10 an hour. In addition, Cabinet Members recently agreed to make permanent the temporary increase in the mileage rate for all Council staff using their own vehicles for work duties – which was raised from 35p to 45p, and previously backdated to March 2022.
“The report that was considered by Full Council on Wednesday presented officer recommendations following a recent review of the Council’s pay structure. The changes that were put forward for consideration, which have now been agreed by Full Council, will see the base salary of the lowest five grades increased – with staff in Grades 1 to 3 retaining the £10 per hour salary previously committed to as the Council’s minimum wage.
“The agreed changes will also see Grade 4 salaries rise above the £10 per hour minimum wage, while pay at Grade 5 would also be elevated. This would result in a pay rise for more than 2,300 Council staff at a full year cost of £1.6m – to be factored into the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan. I’m pleased that Elected Members have agreed to these changes, which will come into effect from August 2022 onwards.”
Posted on 08/07/2022