Construction union UCATT are shocked and appalled after an "impartial" civil servant launched an unprovoked attack on the terms and conditions of skilled local government craft workers.

Over 40,000 skilled craft workers in local government (carpenters, painters, bricklayers, labourers,etc) are employed under the terms and conditions of the JNC "Red Book" craft agreement.

Last autumn workers under the Red Book Agreement reluctantly accepted a 2.45% pay offer. Other local government colleagues employed under the larger Green Book agreement went to arbitration and earlier this year were awarded an additional 0.3%.

UCATT then made a supplementary claim for the 0.3% after having been encouraged to do so by the employers. UCATT were then told they "were not getting it" unless they agreed to end the Red Book national craft agreement. The 0.3% pay increase is worth just 50 pence a week to an average craft worker in take home pay.

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Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT , said: "Skilled local government craft workers will rightly feel completely insulted to discover that civil servants think they can buy them off with just 50p a week, not even enough to buy a cup of tea.

"Every time a council has merged the Red Book agreement with the Green Book, skilled craft workers have lost out and have experienced pay cuts in the long term. Faceless bureaucrats who spend their days sitting behind their desks have never valued the skills, knowledge and experience of highly dedicated craft workers."

This week the joint local government unions submitted a pay claim for 2009/10, which included a demand for the payment of the outstanding 0.3%.

They immediately received a letter from Sarah Messenger the Employers Secretary of the Local Government Employers which, said: "Employer members were unanimous in seeking the dissolution of the JNC in light of the severe difficulties that continue to arise from having craftworkers on separate pay, terms and conditions... The Employers cannot allow this situation to continue indefinitely."

Mr Ritchie, added: "It is appalling that a supposedly impartial civil servant is once again making threats about the terms and conditions of our members. It is very difficult to conduct mature pay negotiations at this difficult time when, civil servants acting for the employers are making threats."

(CD/JM)