As many as 3,000 low paid workers at Cornwall Council are set to get a pay packet boost after the authorithy agreed tom pay a "living wage".

Thousands of workers at Cornwall Council will see their hourly pay rise to £7.85 from today, which equates to £15,100pa for a full time role. 

It is estimated that over three thousand workers will receive a pay rise.  For many it will be over £1 per hour increase.  The increases will mean that many workers will no longer have to rely on in-work benefits and will have an income which allows them to live rather than just survive.

UNISON, the local government union which negotiated the increases, has implemented the agreement with Cornwall Council, which will also be applied in schools that remain under local authority control. UNISON is seeking to extend the agreement to those schools and workplaces which are outside direct local authority control.

Stuart Roden, UNISON Regional Organiser, said: “This is a momentous day in Cornwall for thousands of low paid workers.  This will lift many of our members out of poverty and mean that they no longer have to rely on benefits to make ends meet.  

"Low pay is no joke and many people on minimum wage and zero hours contracts can only survive from hand to mouth.  Cornwall Council is leading by example and this needs to be spread across the whole of the Cornish workforce.”

Gill Allen, UNISON branch secretary, added: “These have been very difficult negotiations at a time of austerity cuts and pay freezes, but it is right that the lowest paid should be taken out of poverty.  

"Our members have borne the brunt of the public sector cuts with many losing their jobs and others suffering reductions in pay.  For once this is positive news and many of our members will be going to work this morning with a smile on their face.”