Council staff pay may be cut to save jobs
PAY cuts for council staff have not been ruled out as a way of avoiding redundancies, a leading city councillor has told The Herald.
City council Cabinet member Ian Bowyer said yesterday that he would not rule out "any sensible suggestion, including pay cuts" to avoid making up to 200 staff redundant.
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LISTENING: GMB council staff members at a union meeting yesterday
Mr Bowyer was responding to union pleas to rescind the decision, announced two weeks ago, to cut 300 council posts, including 100 that are already vacant.
"My reservations are that a pay cut would have to be accepted by 100 per cent of council staff," Mr Bowyer said.
"And would the unions have the power to rip up national pay agreements?"
The GMB union, which represents nearly 1,000 town hall staff, is demanding answers from the council on why it needs to make up to 200 people redundant.
It is also considering legal action over what it claims are flaws in the redundancy consultation process. It says the council has yet to supply it with enough 'meaningful' information about the redundancy plan despite requests.
"We are two weeks into the 90-day consultation over job losses and we haven't seen a business case that supports what the council is up to," Stuart Fegan, organiser for the GMB, said.
Mr Fegan was speaking at a meeting of about 150 GMB members in the Guildhall in Plymouth yesterday.
Tudor Evans, leader of the Labour group on the City Council, accused the ruling Conservative administration of "a massive failure".
He told the meeting: "People need to remember that the council has received a lot of extra money from the Government this year."
Mr Fegan said: "I don't believe the council is going to meet the job cuts through volunteers and vacancy management."
He called on council chiefs to enter into "meaningful conversations" to find an alternative way through efficiencies.
"We have written to Ian Bowyer asking him to rescind the proposal in return for meaningful conversations about how we can make changes that will mean we don't have to make 200 people redundant."
Mr Fegan said: "We know from previous experience that when there have been budget problems we have managed to steer our way through them without the need to make anyone redundant."
One member of the council's staff, who didn't want to be named, said: "There has been one restructuring after another at the council and morale is really low."
A senior member of council staff said it was too early to talk about industrial action. However, she was concerned that the union had not been kept in the picture. Asked whether she was worried about losing her job, she said: "I'm ever the optimist. I won't worry until we have more information."
Mr Bowyer said later: "This is certainly not a done deal. We'll listen to any sensible suggestion. But this council cannot be expected to be isolated or immune from the effects of the recession."
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by Stan, Efford
Thursday, February 12 2009, 6:48AM
“Bring back Tudor as leader! Befog PCC Employee, Central Plymouth - what a really, really stupid comment.”
by Big ed, Plymouth
Wednesday, February 11 2009, 10:08PM
“I worked there and when I realised that it would take years to get a chance to get a decent wage I left. If my employer told me I was going to take a wage cut, I´d leave. Bottom line is, if your employer starts messing you around then leave. If you can´t leave because no one else will give you a job that pays you more than you currently earn then sorry to say it but then you are probably currently being paid too much..so why expect council tax payers to pay over the odds for you?”
by SJ, Plymouth
Wednesday, February 11 2009, 9:56PM
“What interesting comments.
Mr Barry Keel, the chief exec earns about £160,000 per year.
One of the Tory's main manifesto's was to look at car parking charges...well no doubt they went out under cover of darkness, looked and decided to increase them, again and yet again. In their defence (loathe though I am to admit it) on the last two occasions when they have been voted back in they have had to spend the majority of their time mopping up after the Labour debacle.
Did you know? Tudor Evans was on income support whilst a Councillor and his family and freinds always seemed to get what they wanted..no kidding.
What do we do about saving money? Stop wasting it would be a good start. No more jolly's like the one to Ireland to see how the no smoking ban was going (that one only cost about £10,000).
No more speed cameras...cost £11,000 each.
How much money was wasted shutting the tunnel on Armada way and putting in the airstrip? Well the trees they put in, after digging up the existing ones... £10,000 each.
How much does it cost to have the TV on every day in the airstrip? Hmmm no idea but I doubt it's free. Turn it off when you leave the room Doh!!!
Thousands of pounds wasted on worthless consultants coming in to tell the big chiefs how to run the Council - an obvious success there then....not
Does anyone out there know how much money the council is getting for sellng the council housing stock? Probably not enough to repay the money lost to Iceland banks, but surely a start.
I don't think it would matter who was in power at the Council, Too many funny handshakes and mates rates to make a change for the good.”
by Rick O'Shay, zog
Wednesday, February 11 2009, 9:29PM
“Tudor Evans says "People need to remember that the council has received a lot of extra money from the Government this year."
Tudor Evans forgets: that Gordon Brown and New Labour have ruined the NATIONAL economy.
Belts have to be tightened, I would prefer everyone to take a small bit of pain to avoid any redundancies if that's possible. It's hard to take Tudor seriously when he starts accusing others of failure.”
by Cheesed off employee, plymouth
Wednesday, February 11 2009, 8:20PM
“Mr Keel said to a meeting of employees - if you don't like the ride - get off the bus - thats how much he thinks of his employees. With the moral at rock bottom, staff still waiting for JE results, redundancies, who wants a pay cut to keep 100 vacant jobs! I read the council investments are being dropped this year by 45 million to 247 million. It seems that its not only greedy bankers who get paid too much for making bad decisions”