Following preliminary negotiations within the Whitley Council  in respect of Pay for 2013/14, and as a result of a request from the Employees’ Side of the Whitley Council, all permanent staff employed under Whitley Council terms and conditions were balloted on the following question:

“Do you support a pay freeze this year if it is guaranteed until 31 March 2014, that there will be no compulsory redundancies?”

The ballot, which was consultative, closed at noon on 9 July 2013. The outcome is as follows:
Total ballot papers returned                           958
Total votes cast in favour of acceptance         504 
Total votes cast against acceptance               419
Spoilt papers                                                35
(The total number of ballot papers distributed by mail was 2,005)

At a meeting of the Whitley Council on 15 July 2013 an agreement was signed confirming that, in the interests of keeping jobs and helping employers to cope with budget cuts, a freeze on pay would apply for the period 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 and that no compulsory redundancies of Whitley Council employees would take effect within either central Government or local authorities during the period ending 31 March 2014.