Gateshead Council has urged the Government to fund trade union demands for a public sector and school worker pay rise.
The leader of the Gateshead Council, Martin Gannon, has said he does not want to have to fund council worker pay rises through redundancies.
As Unite and UNISON ballot their public sector and school worker members on industrial action and GMB considers it, Gateshead Council says the Government should foot the bill for higher wages.
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All three Unions rejected a flat pay offer increase of £1,925 from the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services. All three say more can be done to help workers with the cost of living crisis and historic pay cuts.
Gateshead Council passed a motion which states it supports the pay claim submitted by the unions for an increase of 12.7% for staff including refuse collectors, school assistants and social workers. However, the motion also stated the council is adamant the money has to come from the central Government.
Martin Gannon, a Deckham councillor and leader of Gateshead council said: "I have outlined before the colossal reduction in the living standards for not just local government workers but for public sector workers during the coalition government.
"That is now being compounded by historically high levels of inflation and the fuel crisis.
"Local government has been decimated with a 56% reduction in funding to Gateshead, that's a thousand pounds less to spend on residents.
"We clapped essential workers, people valued the services they provide. They are also our residents a lot of them, our electors and only seeking fairness and justice in terms of denomination.
"It needs to be funded by the Government, this Government and a future Labour Government.
"For every one per cent in the wages in Gateshead council, if that is not funded that's about £1m which means there will have to be further reductions in council services. I don't want to be in the position to have to fund pay rises for our essential workers by making 40 or 50 people redundant for everyone's one per cent increase in wages.
"This needs to be funded by the Government."
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