Holiday pay for carers, highways maintenance staff and others employed by Caerphilly council will be significantly boosted following discussions with the trades unions. The landmark agreement means low paid carers and others will receive annual leave payments that properly reflect their regular earnings and are no longer financially penalised during holiday periods. In some cases, employees will benefit by hundreds of pounds a year.
Recent case law has corrected the unfair anomaly that determined holiday pay was based solely on basic salary rather than the normal remuneration individuals receive. Caerphilly council has reached agreement with GMB, UNISON and UNITE which means that contractual annual leave payments will now be based on total pay and not just basic pay. Additional money earned through sleep-in supplements, night work, standby, additional hours and overtime will now continue to be paid during annual leave thanks to the deal with council unions.
Gary Enright, speaking for the trades unions said,
“This is wonderful news for hundreds of low paid council workers and their families. Local authority staff work incredibly hard keeping vital local services running and supporting vulnerable people. This is money that they have earned and is theirs by right. Well done to Caerphilly council for this progressive agreement which shows what can be done when we work in partnership. This agreement will be the standard to judge how other Welsh local authorities treat their workforce. After all, rewarding people fairly can only boost the morale and productivity of staff.”