Most local government industrial action has now ended following the reaching of a pay deal with teachers, however, not without a significant impact on education providers over the course of the last few months. This has included poor staff morale, dissatisfaction from parents and potential impacts on teaching quality / quantity and exam results.

It is also worthwhile noting that pay increases across the local government sector lagged (in percentage terms) behind the increases across other public sector organisations. Whilst it was not possible for the unions to reach the threshold in their ballots to take industrial action in many areas of the local government sector, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a sense of disengagement amongst staff about the local government pay deal.

There was a further move by the government, through regulations, to allow the use of agency staff during industrial action to cover striking workers, however, that has now been found to be unlawful by the courts.

On the horizon are the new minimum service level provisions which will, of course, impact on education as well as some local government social care provision.

We query whether those minimum service requirements will:

1. actually be implemented
2. not be subject to a similar challenge as with the agency worker rules.

If they are implemented, further industrial action may have a lower impact on those areas to which the provisions apply. However, if not (or if quashed by the courts) similar effects may be expected as to those experienced with teachers’ strikes.

Further, whilst the unions did not get the response they required in their national ballots of local government members, it is possible that they will be considering local ballots (similar to those undertaken by the NMC in an NHS setting) to achieve local industrial action. The results of the national ballots should give an indication to the unions as to where they may best put any targeted action. With the cost of living crisis biting hard, it is easy to see how the next pay deal could lead to much broader levels of industrial action across the sector.

Local Government Forward View 2023

This article is part of Capsticks’ Local Government Forward View 2023. Read the other articles featured in this publication below:

• Combined Authorities
• Investment Zones
• Building Safety Reforms
• Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill
• Online Safety Bill
• Environmental Impact Assessments
• Procurement Bill
• The conflict between trans rights and religion or belief
• Public service pension scheme reform

How Capsticks can help

To discuss how this may affect your organisation, please get in touch with Sean Hick, Alessandra Gettins or Tiffany Cloynes.