Derbyshire: Lowest paid council workers to get a rise

The lowest paid staff employed by Derbyshire County Council will have their pay increased if proposals are agreed at a meeting next week.

More than 3,000 employees, including cleaners, school catering assistants and school crossing patrol staff , will benefit from an increase in their hourly rate from 1st April. They will be paid £7.65 an hour.

Derbyshire County Council Leader Anne Western said: “Many hard working employees are struggling to make ends meet because of spiralling food, fuel and energy prices.”

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“Putting more money in people’s pockets will mean a boost for the local economy as most of our staff live locally.”

“Even though we have to make massive savings over the coming years it is only right that we pay our lowest paid employees enough to provide a decent standard of living for their families.”

“Paying the Living Wage means that we will take many hard working families out of poverty and low pay. It’s the decent and right thing to do.”

“We’ve worked with the unions over the past few months on the detail of the proposals and are pleased that we were all able to agree to them.”

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The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually and is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK.

Unison service conditions lead negotiator Mick Wilson said: “For the lowest paid this will help towards dealing with the cost of living crisis where costs of daily living are going ever up but wages are not.”

The cost of implementing the Living Wage will be £1.3million, with £812,000 from traded services which will be re-couped, and £393,000 from council budgets. The council will be encouraging schools to also pay the Living Wage.