ALMO caves in to caretakers' pay demands

Council housing caretakers in Leeds have won a pay rise of more than 11% with backdating to January 2005.

The workers, members of public services union UNISON, went on strike for a day in August in protest at being paid just £6.02 an hour, and threatened to lodge an equal pay claim.

The threat of further action last month prompted their employer - Leeds North West Homes, one of the arms-length management organisations (ALMOs) running the city's council housing stock - to agree to raise their hourly rate to £6.69.

UNISON rep Gerard Murphy said the caretakers would receive a "nice sum" in backdated pay, to include overtime payments.