On Local Service Champions Day, Medway Labour & Co-operative Group would like to thank staff at Medway Council for their hard work and dedication.

This celebration day is a part of UNISON’s Local Service Champions campaign, which seeks to raise the profile of local government workers.

Cllr Vince Maple, Medway Labour & Co-op Group Leader said, ‘I pay tribute to the hardworking Medway Council staff who are doing an excellent job in very difficult circumstances. Local government has lost 60p in every £1 since 2010; with departments running on a skeleton crew and budgets being slashed Medway Council employees are expected to do more with less every day.

‘The fact is that council staff have faced a real-terms pay cut year on year, and haven’t benefited from the lifting of the pay cap because of Medway’s flawed performance related pay scheme, MedPay.

‘On two separate occasions I’ve had people involved with The Trussell Trust telling me unsolicited that council workers are making use of the food bank – this is simply unacceptable.

‘The Labour Group will continue to fight for improved pay for council staff, with a cost of living increase that will actually make a difference to the lives of Medway Council employees.

‘To make Medway Council work best for its employees and its residents Medway needs to be an employer of choice, but this will not be possible until staff are properly compensated and councils are properly funded.’

Cllr Naushabah Khan, Medway Labour Spokesperson for Housing and member of the Employment Matters Committee said, ‘This is an excellent opportunity to remind the public, media, and politicians of the crucial work local government staff do and the importance of the services they deliver.

‘As councillors we need to be doing our best for local government workers who work so hard, and are often overlooked despite going above and beyond to help residents.

‘The best way this Conservative administration can do this is by finally making good on their promise to review MedPay, so we can ensure council workers are getting paid properly and close the gender pay gap which widened this year.’

The Gender Pay Gap at Medway Council has increased by 2.30% in the last year, meaning the Gender Pay Gap at Medway Council now stands at 10.63%. The Gender Pay Gap for other Unitary Authorities stands at 7.4%, meaning Medway is lagging behind by almost 3%. https://www.medwaylabour.org.uk/medway-councils-gender-pay-gap-tory/

Unison’s Local Service Champions campaign: https://www.unison.org.uk/our-campaigns/local-service-champions/