There will not have been one chief executive surprised to receive a letter from Sarah Messenger, head of workforce for the Local Government Association (LGA), confirming the current state of affairs in relation to the NJC bargaining machinery. It confirms that national bargaining has failed miserably and those of us who want to reform should do so locally, with the LGA offering support if it can and for a charge. What a dreadful state of affairs to be in but blame should not be directed at the LGA, nor the trade unions, as its not the people around the table who are the problem, but simply the fact that in local government there is simply very little, if anything, to bargain with any more. The recent pay claim by UNISON, which is unquestionably unaffordable in the sector at the moment, tells that the 1% bargaining chip levels of the past are not going to cut ice with the trade unions in the future.
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