Strike threat at Shropshire Council
Friday 13th August 2010, 11:00AM BST.
HUNDREDS OF union members at Shropshire Council – the county’s biggest employer – could take strike action over what they claim is a cost-cutting attack on working conditions.
Unison, which represents the majority of staff at the Shirehall headquarters in Shrewsbury, today accused the Tory-controlled council of being “seemingly hell bent” on cutting costs by forcing frontline workers to take a pay cut.
At an emergency meeting, more than 400 members unanimously backed a motion condemning what they say are council plans to break with the national rates for mileage allowances, scrap the lump sum for essential car users, and to drastically reduce redundancy terms.
The motion supported “potential industrial action” up to and including strike action. Further meetings are now due to take place across the county to discuss the next steps.
Savings
The council is looking to make savings of almost £60 million over the next three years. The council’s cabinet recently agreed a “transformation” programme which will see the council slim down to reduce costs.
Chief executive Kim Ryley has said the aim is to create a more flexible, multi-tasking organisation.
But Roger McKenzie, Unison West Midlands regional secretary, said: “It is unfair for basic terms and conditions to be so undermined. I urge the council to think again and meet with the branch.”
Rick Tudor, Unison regional officer for Shropshire, said: “Shropshire Council is seemingly hell bent on reducing costs by forcing frontline staff to take a further pay cut.
“Senior managers, on much larger salaries than frontline staff, will not suffer in the same manner.
“Our members have already had a pay freeze imposed.”
Jackie Kelly, the council’s head of human resources and development, said the savings to the council would be significant, “being the equivalent of the average salaries of about 50 posts”.
“These changes are being proposed with the main aim of making savings in staff costs which avoid redundancies,” she added.
By Dave Morris
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government pleased at news threat of strike of 400 members as they won’t need wages for working.
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they dont know they’re born!! here in the real world the wifes been made redundant and i’m on no over time, so we’re about half our household income down, why should only private sector workers suffer, we work just as hard if not much harder!
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Well that’s just great . . . so I gather from what you say that when your wife was made redundant you just stood by and said ‘oh well – can’t be helped’, and your employer reducing your overtime was just taken in your stride was it?
The council is one of the largest employers in Shropshire. It might come as news to you but most of the employees come to work and try to do the best job they can. They aren’t on the fiddle, and they don’t claim expenses. They do their job, they get paid, and they are grateful. Sure there are a few loafers that need to be dealt with from time to time, but can you honestly tell me that there aren’t any in the private sector.
What is the difference between your family and a council worker whose private sector wife has maybe been made redundant and who faces pay cuts or redundancy himself? None. His family wouldn’t be any better or worse off than you. So why hail shouts of ‘it’s about time they suffer’, rather than ‘why do any of us have to suffer’! Be a human being and rally behind a fellow worker.
It sounds like your family have had a real rough trot, but why should I feel sorry for you when you have an attitude like that. I come to work and work hard just like I imagine you do. You don’t deserve to have pay cut, have working terms changed, or be made redundant any less than I do. It’s a pity more of the public don’t see it that way instead of this ridiculous them and us attitude; just because you pay for your bin to be emptied, or your street lights to be on via your council tax rather than at a shop counter.
Do you think we all sit in our offices a say . . . .’ha ha that motor vehicle manufacturer is cutting staff; serves the staff right, their employer charged me £xxxxx for that new car’! or ‘that electrical retailer has just made half its staff redundant, serves the staff right that TV I bought was made in china for half of what their employer sold it for’. Why do people see their council tax so differently to any other money they spend on products or services from the private sector?
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oh nooooo the library might be closed what will we do?? scary… lets face it most of the proper services are all privatised now any how so they go on strike, i still get the bus and the bins still collection, so there
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its inevitable there will be redundancies due to government cuts so of course the council wants to make that cheaper for themselves, but to do so restropectively is surely unfair and probably illegal is it not? its certainly immoral, if you take some one on to do a job you negotiate the price at the start of the job, you can change what you pay mid way through it
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Needs must, get on with it and ignore the unions.
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that is typical union, as david cameron has said cutting pay and perks for staff will ultimately save jobs so unions should support this efficiency drive, likewise pay cuts would be good for their members jobs ultimately too
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owch
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Council workers currently save the authority millions each year by using their own private vehicles for work. The mileage rates take account of this and to remove them would be a serious reduction in salary. In the private sector, employees doing the mileage council staff do are usually provided with a company car or vehicle.
The redundancy policy is a nationally agreed term and is less generous than that in the civil service. The council has stated that they do not wish to make redundancies. If no redundancies are made, no saving is created by changing redundancy terms.
The most underhand change is the removal of pensionable service and its replacement with continuous service. This will result in many existing council staff losing a large amount of their pension benefit and many council staff will be forced into poverty in retirement. It appears that the Council wants to ignore nationally agreed terms and to force many staff members into poverty.
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“In the private sector, employees doing the mileage council staff do are usually provided with a company car or vehicle”
That’s not as widespread now as it used to be, thanks to hefty tax penalties on company vehicles. The current favoured model is for companies to provide a car allowance, which is an amount paid monthly on top of basic salary, but still subject to income tax, to assist with the purchase of a suitable vehicle.
For heavy car users, it’s common to see a car allowance plus a mileage rate of around 25p per mile, which just about covers fuel, wear and tear, depreciation, increased service intervals, etc. on a typical mid-range saloon. For occasional car users, you’d normally find there’s no car allowance, but a rate of 40p per mile for using their own vehicle. The 40p rate is set by HMRC as the maximum a company can pay before it’s considered a benefit in kind and therefore subject to tax.
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these guys dont know how lucky they are to actually still have a job in the fist place let alone get any travel allowances
let them strike, i wouldnt even notice
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I think you’ll find you WOULD notice, Trevor, and what’s more, you’d be the very first to whinge.
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i don’t think we can expect anybody to drive around the county servicing the people/ community and not get the adequate money towards the fuel. cars are expensive to run, tax, insure and maintain and Shropshire is a big county to travel around. there is no profit made trust me! its subsidizing your employer out of your own pocket to do your job – would you do it?.. didn’t think so!
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About time, let them see what It’s like in the real world, No golden pensions, car allowance. and the rest of the perks, payed for by us taxpayers. Ignore the unions, in this economic situation they won’t vote for a strike as they know deep down they will not be missed.
.
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You think a pension of £4000 a year for your average Council Worker is Golden, think you have been reading too many tabloid newspapers
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i am i bovvered? no, it would be interesting to see if the whole council took a week off i dont think anyone would even notice the difference
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Interesting – just like nobody has noticed the transition to fortnightly bin collections then? Just like nobody noticed the gritting shortages last winter? Just like nobody notices shortcomings in child protection each time a child is injured or worse, in his or her home environment?
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Yes I’m sure that a week without council workers would be such a holiday. No bins emptied, no teachers or staff in schools, no social workers to look out for children at risk, no carers for the elderly or vulnerable adults, no repairs being done, no environmental health work. Fred, stop being such a dolt. The attitude of bashing the council is just pathetic – if you think that you can do such a good job for what they get paid, then put or up shut, you ridiculous troll.
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Well said Marcus Perry.
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Couldn’t agree more Marcus
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who do they think they are – MPs?
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What this article doesn’t say is that the council is actively council over ‘proposals’. Part of this includes a meeting with the Trade Unions and the Council and the opportunity for employees to make comments during the consultation period.
No decisions are yet taken, but it is clear that savings need to be made. Scaremongering like this helps no-one.
Also, the point that Shropshire Council has a nationally agreed Redundancy policy, as made by Phil, is factually incorrect. In addition, the point about continuous/pensionable service is only relevant relating to redundancy situations.
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Strikes are supposed to garner public support to be successful. I hear the word strike, I switch off.
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prudent, financially and in terms of safety
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if they had to catch the bus, i guarenttee buses in this town would improve very rapidly! its greener too, make them bus!
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haha, “make them bus” could possibly be the best quote on this thread.
In all seriousness – there is no issue here – the council have put forward proposals, nothing has been decided. Even if it had – I have worked for both public & private sectors, I can safely say there is so so so much money to be saved in the public sector. There is so much deadwood sitting on comparitively huge salaries, not due to enterprising work or achievement – but due to time in role, doing bare minimum & not doing anything to get sacked!
The real workers in public sector who need looking after & union support are the labourers, care workers, refuse…having been one of the office workers, (which make up a massive amount of the council) – I know the proposed changes would not hit them hard enough to warrant or justify strike action.
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the many must make small sarifices to save a few, or the few must be sarificed to save the many….do you want smallish cuts in allowances and all keep your jobs, or would you rather keep your allowances and make up those expenses by saving on salaries: ie making people redundant. It seems savings must be made – I want prudence with the spending of my tax….so choose, a lot of relatively small cuts, or a few large drastic cuts for the same mount. To think that savings can’t be made, that the council is a well oiled efficient beast is ridiculous and it worries me that those in the council so blatantly want to carry on business as usual – business isn’t usual these days and you need to be lean to survive – public and private sector alike.
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Public Sector Worker.
What a great post-nice to see someone speaking sense!
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