Trade union Unite is expected to recommend that its members reject the employers ‘final’ 2.75% pay offer at a national committee meeting later this week.
Unions have hit back at local government employers’ attempts to close down talks on pay.
Unite national officer, Jim Kennedy, said: ‘Collective bargaining is a two-way process.
'Our members are out there putting their lives on the line.
'This is not a pay rise – it’s a standstill offer.’
The unions have lodged a formal request to join with the Local Government Association, Welsh Local Government Association and Northern Ireland Local Government Association in approaching Whitehall to fund a bonus to employees in recognition of their response to the COVID-19 emergency.
