Cornwall Council staff pay deal approved

Cornwall Council said the proposals would save the authority £5.4m

A deal negotiated between unions and Cornwall Council over staff pay has been approved in a ballot by unions.

The proposals include introducing a living wage and retaining current redundancy pay levels and national terms in relation to sick pay.

After all the lowest-paid staff have their salaries raised to a living wage level, all staff will have pay frozen for three years.

Cornwall Council said the proposals would save it about £5.4m.

'Mature decision'

The Living Wage, currently £7.65 an hour, will come into effect next April.

Council chief executive Andrew Kerr said a "constructive approach" was taken by the local and regional representatives of Unison, GMB and Unite during the negotiations.

He said: "The outcome of the ballot is very significant. It is the second time in three years that we have reached agreement on a pay freeze, which will assist the council to make savings and preserve front-line services."

Unison regional organiser Stuart Roden said the approval of the deal by union members was a difficult but "mature decision".

He said: "We hope that the savings made will also assist in protecting services and jobs which may otherwise have been cut."

The Liberal Democrat-Independent controlled council has to save £190m in the next five years.

It said £400,000 had already been saved after a re-organisation of its management structure reduced the number of directorates from six to three.