Rallying call to save Royal British Legion clubs
- Today's leader
Shropshire Council ‘can save £1m without mass job losses’
Friday 12th November 2010, 11:15AM GMT.
Protesters from Unison outside the Shirehall on Thursday, November 11
Shropshire Council can avoid “mass redundancy” by cutting staffing costs by £1 million a year, its leader has claimed. Keith Barrow’s comments came after union bosses voiced job fears.
Union bosses voiced fears that 2,400 jobs could be lost at the council as the authority seeks to make savings totalling £76 million over four years.
Councillor Barrow was speaking at a meeting of the full council which decided to forge ahead with a cash-saving plan to change the employment terms and conditions of staff.
As councillors made their way into the Shirehall council chamber yesterday, they were met in the the foyer by a group of about 40 demonstrators, chanting “stop the cuts” and “Lib Dem traitors”. Another group of protesters was gathered outside the main entrance to the building.
But Councillor Barrow, proposing the changes, said staff understood why the council was having to make the savings, and that was to protect jobs.
He said that if the authority failed to take action, the alternative would be mass redundancy.
“That is something none of us want,” Councillor Barrow said.
The agreed changes to terms and conditions mainly focus on car user and mileage allowances, affecting about 1,200 staff. There will also be a reduction in redundancy compensation payments.
Councillor Barrow said the move could help save about 100 jobs.
The demonstration was led by Unison but yesterday another union, GMB, voiced fears that 2,400 jobs could be lost.
No-one was available at the council for comment on the figure today.
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I take it you cabbages didn’t grasp the severity of last nights C4 documentary on the economy, despite the fact it was relayed in Blue Peter terminology?
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Its time to wake up people – right on Mike – couldn’t agree more. We’re drowning in public sector jobs that don’t create any revenue whatsoever for the country. We need a major cull – far more than is being proposed – the private sector is the only thing that generates wealth. We need to get back to making things – see GERMANY – fantastic manufacturing and standards in health service way above ours. We’ve become a laughing stock – the pioneers of the industrial revolution (remember IRONBRIDGE !) wouldn’t credit it.
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There seems to be a very unsavoury ‘mob mentality’ building up against public sector workers in the pages of much of the right wing press and on this website too. French Revolution comes to mind – perhaps you can find a prime spot to view the goings on as one after another public sector worker gets the chop and their families and dependants are left to pick up the pieces. Much of the public sector do a fantastic job in hospitals, schools, police, emergency services,cemeterys, rubbish collection/street cleaning,environmental health, caring of the elderly/vulnerable and doing many of the menial tasks that people are unwilling to undertake themselves. It seems that the only jobs that get reported are the very few with odd titles that nobody understands. Just cutting those isn’t going to save a great deal of money. If the reported thousands of job cuts are made then we will all be seriously affected in some way and so will our friends, neighbours and the wider economy.
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Public sector workers dont pay tax and insurence great idea sack loads save money then add them to the jobless maybe they could employ a few to push wheelchairs for the disabled that are all going to get jobs,These workers spend money within the local community cut that and shops and services suffer as people dont have money to spend.There is no place for carniage in our public sector remember in america if you support free medical care you are a COMMUNIST, yet we overhere forget that the nhs and public services were fought for not given to us.
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Sensible !
So as the Private Sector grows generating revenue, who is going to ensure planning, environmental, convservation, health and safety, equality, trading stanadards and many other essential legal obligations in place for the interest of the general public as a whole are adheared to.
Please think about this some more.
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surely limiting “perks” or even cutting terms and conditions if you want to call it that, is better than job losses, look at the private sector, in the car plants people went onto 3 day weeks and took pay freezes and such to preserve their jobs thats the better way forward surely even the unions would agree?
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The Coalition are certainly ahead in the propaganda war over their vilification of the public sector and last nights C4 documentary was no exception. Utter dross from start to finish. I’d be interersted to learn who funded it. The attack on the public sector is idealogically driven and hides behind the Trojan Horse of debt. Bankers are responsible for the current situation – unbridled borrowing and lending to those who could never hope to repay. The public sector should not and will not accept the being the scapegoats in all this. Well I’m glad I got that off my chest.
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Yeah, all the bankers fault, nothing to do with the fact that the chancellor thrashed the public credit card to a shadow of its former self. You bury your head in the sand, I am sure the local council will charge us all to park our bicycles.
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Mike,
You’ve not looked at the figures. The debt at the point of change of gov’t was 62% of GDP or thereabouts. Of that, 30% of GDP, or almost half of the debt was caused directly by the need to bail out the banks.
The remaining debt, 32% of GDP is not an historically high figure. All of these figures can be verified and are not disputed, even by the new government, despite their propaganda.Whatever money the previous administration spent, it was spent on schools and hospitals – rather than tax breaks for the rich.
So are the bankers paying back their debt? Are the new government insisting that they do so in short order? No, they are not. They are asking a paltry £2.5bn in levy, whilst the banks pay out £7.5bn in bonuses.
Why do we not have a policy that says for example that they pay £2 to the levy for every £1 paid in bonuses? – seems fair to me – we might ‘all be in it together’ then.
I’d wager that all of those criticising the public sector in these pages have never worked in the public sector and are speaking from a standpoint of prejudiced ignorance. Many will not have the basic qualifications needed to enter the public sector.
I’ve worked in both the public sector and the private sector. In my experience there is far more waste in the private sector than I ever saw in the public sector – most of it aimed at imaginative ways of lining the pockets of the senior execs.
Feel free to challenge my facts – but please – no silly name-calling as I’ve seen in the past from the usual suspects – try and find some facts of your own for once.
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Lets hope that when your elderly parents are left with no services and only you to look after them, when your children are no longer receiving the education we all hope and expect they receive you remember writing your comments/
Its easy to sit at home making comments about something which you obviously have no knowledge but there are a lot of people still at work looking after peoples elderly relatives, disabled children and other vulnerable people of our society.
Its these people who’s jobs are at risk and they like you are in this position through no fault of their own, if you want to blame someone for the mess this country is in look at the government and bankers not public sector workers.
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You do realise you have just contradicted yourself blaming the government for the mess the country is in whilst condoning the obese public sector QWERTY establishment.
If you want to play the peasant’s lottery then by all means trundle on down to the village hall every five years, put a cross in a box, hand over sixty percent of your income to the inland revenue with vain delusions that someone in Westminster is custodian of your welfare. I on the other-hand have lived on this planet far too long to believe in fairy stories and the government have not been fit for purpose since world war 2. I have no truck regarding the protection of the vulnerable within society but if the private sector were to be run like the public sector then you would be out of business before you start. If manufacturing and export were not propping up the leviathan that is public service then overheads would decrease and productivity would increase, but getting that through to some is a little like thrashing your head against a brick wall.
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Will you be one of those complaining when the cuts really begin to bite into public services Mark?
If you’re a regular to these threads, then you can’t fail to have noticed the wails of indignation at (for example) fewer bin collections, lack of policing, changes to the benefit system etc etc. If we think it’s bad now, it can only go one way.
Of course the public sector has much that can be improved, but the private sector hasn’t exactly been a paragon of efficiency and thrift of late either.
As I recall, it wasn’t the public sector which created the financial meltdown we’re experiencing; unfortunately – “getting that through to some is a little like thrashing your head against a brick wall”.
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You don’t honestly expect me to believe that a couple of yuppies from Goldman Sachs brought the entire first world economy to a grinding halt? If so what were chancellor Brown and Mervyn King doing, having a nod? Also it was the treasury that handed over billions of the publics money without putting in place adequate conditions for the return of said monies whilst the bank of England mindlessly borrowed more from the IMF. “As I recall” not a private sector decision. The tax hikes planned for next year essentially mean everyone will have to work an extra day each week just to cover the loss. If you think that is bad just wait until America debase their currency and we follow suit you will need a wheel barrow full of stirling just to buy a pint of milk.
Couple that with the fact that we have just spent over £1,000,000,000 on a nuclear submarine that cant drive in a straight line and an endless illicit conflict in the middle east then the only thing that baffles me is how those responsible have not yet been slapped with a section 3.
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Well Mark (Nov 16th @ 14:11), I wouldn’t dispute the fact that Brown and his cohorts must share the blame, indeed I believe that I made it perfectly clear that I understand that the public sector has much that can be improved.
What I do take issue with is this misguided belief that the public sector is to blame for all the country’s woes. Having worked much of my working life for private employers, and being currently employed across both private and public sectors, I have seen first hand the mismanagement and incompetence that exists in both. Those who seek to deny this isn’t equally a factor in private industry are quite frankly, deluding themselves.
Of course, it will usually boil down to the fact that the public sector isn’t usually a revenue generator (though that isn’t strictly true either). Unfortunately, that’s the nature of the beast – how else are we to provide and maintain vital services. Transfer services to the private sector perhaps? In some cases maybe – but in my public employment, we took on board private sector agency workers to undertake specialist duties, and the error rate hit the stratosphere. And this was a private agency which professed to being skilled in the field.
Interesting that you mention faulty submarines. I know nothing about them nor their construction, but would be interested to know if they were constructed by private contractors.
Similarly – someone else has stated that they believe the public sector is unwilling to invest in up to date IT systems. Not true: how many times have we read about public IT systems going over budget and not working correctly? So whilst it’s true that whoever sanctioned such IT orders should be taken to task, is it not also true that more often than not they’re developed by private contractors who promise everything but deliver little?
So, yes I don’t disagree that much needs to be done in the public sector, but those who rely on outdated preconceived ideas and media bias may wish to look at the facts further before jumping on the anti public sector bandwagon.
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We’ll all be paying for much more than bike parking if these lot get their way Mike. Once the private sector gets their hands on services currently public they’ll charge for absolutely everything and ditch the services that don’t turn a profit. If you can’t afford it you won’t get!
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shropshire council could save millions more than 1 million with no problem i suspect it pays more than it needs to for most contracts and services if the work of Sir Digby Jones is anything to go by the public sector is being fleeced of BILLIONS every year by unscrupulous contractors
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That would be private sector contractors?
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hate to be pedantic but it was Sir Philip Green (the millionaire tax exile) who recommended some ways for the UK government to save paying so much (he should know!)
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i hope those lazy public sector workers are on a lunch break and not protesting on work time, i pay their wages you know
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I find that the anti public sector mob on these pages generally fall into one of three groups:
i. Mr or Mrs Angry who pays their tax and absolutely will not accept that there are two sides to every story;
ii. The gullible, i.e. those who believe each and every lie, mistruth and smokescreen thrown about in relation to the public sector – without question;
iii. The trolls, i.e. sad individuals whose lives are obviously lacking something, and whose only satisfaction appears to be to post crap like “I pay their wages you know”.
I wonder which group Wayne comes under.
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Let me think about this?
Definitely iii
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OMG 2400 wud reck shrews economy man
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Absolutely h! As we’ve seen in the press the same amount of private sector jobs as public will go…so we could be talking thousands across Shropshire. If we don’t turn this around its gonna be really bad man. Its 18 applicants per job right now. These dudes who slate the public sector bods should think about it a bit more. Vote em out in the locals in May!!!
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pioneers of the industrial revolution (remember IRONBRIDGE !) wouldn’t credit it.
Thats the answer Tim, you don’t need to worry about your employees old age or pensions when they never actually reach it!!!
What you seem to forget is that the public sector use the private sector, buy their services so the private sector will suffer as they can’t generate wealth when their products services are not being used/purchased.
I heard on the radio some German people being asked why they are not spending more which is what we want them to do apparently. Some said they feared for the future and a lot of them siad that they are only working part time hours so cannot afford to spend.
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” …changes on term and conditions mainly focus on car user and mileage allowance”. Is this an early christmas cracker joke?
Just say it plain and simple: a massive reduction in staffing is coming. A privatisation of services will be the consequence. Those who have the money will have care, those who don’t, won’t. Taxpayers will have no idea as why they pay their taxes. Bankers and private corporations will carry on fattening.
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savings in car user allowance,
If I was employed by the council, and used my car, on council business, why should I not be reimbursed for the expenses incurred at the appropriate rate?
This has been established by the Inland Revenue at 40p per mile, for the first 10,000 miles, anything over is taxable. Applies both to public and private sector.
How would a private sector employee react to being told to drive 200 miles a week on company business, but not get reimbursed costs for doing so?
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the council is notorious beaurocratic, so of course it could save a million no problem, it would probably just need to introduce something from the 80′s like E-mail and it would be progress for them! If you look at a modern big company a rolls royce, ibm or ford and compare their procurement, it and hr systems to a local authority its an amazing contrast brought about my investment in top talent, business brains and crucially modern ICT systems, something public sector is just never willing to invest in
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IF IT CAN SAVE A MILLION GET ON AND DO IT NOW IM SICK OF PAYING SO MUCH COUNCIL TAX AND GETTING SWEET FA IN RETURN
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Wow what a strange life you lead! No street lights, no road repairs, no libraries, no schools, no care of children, no trading standards, no schools, no care of old people, no protection of the environment. No which part of Shropshire do you live in?
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To say nothing of no lower-case letters on the keyboard…truly deprivation.
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Shropshire Council appears to be operating as an independant state. They have just agreed changes to the staff pension scheme, a nationally agreed term and a statutory scheme. The redundancy package is also a nationally agreed term. I see a forthcoming court case as the council has no right to make these changes unilaterally. These terms have been agreed by all local authorities via a national comittee.
As for the car allowance, 40p a mile does not cover the cost of maintaining or even fuelling a car. I suspect that most of the council’s employees will not have a vehicle available for council use as of now.
The council has a choice, buy a fleet of vehicles for staff to use, at great expense or bite the bullet and pay staff an appropriate allowance for using their private vehicles. Council staff do not get company cars or preferential car loans.
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Whilst I agree with all you say about breach of formal agreements, (the Government are up to exactly the same actions with the Civil Service), the 40p per mile rate is limited by HMRC. Any rate paid beyond this would be considered as a benefit in kind and would attract tax.
It’s the rate typically paid by both private and public sector alike, and given the rises in both fuel and insurance costs it simply hasn’t kept pace.
But on that one at least, the council’s hands are tied.
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council workers should be glad they get any car allowance, where I used to work you had to submit a petrol receipt and that was all you got no allowance for tyres/wear and tear or anything, council staff should have the same conditions as the private sector because its this wealth creation which funds all their social work. In McDonalds they dont recognise trade Unions, most FTSE 100 firms have ditched final salary pension, normaly people get 25 days annual leave, teachers get about 100, how can this be fair?
council workers should have the same, if not lower conditions because they are public servants and should be doing it for the good of society like charity workers who dont earn much
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i would just like to say, my sister had a nervous breakdown last year, her social worker has been excellent, very caring for her and also supporting us. She went from suicidal to now back at work and has the children back 3 days a week now too. It been an emotional roller coaster but as a family we are getting on with it.
thank you to the social workers in shropshire who saved her life, you are worth every penny and I dont mind helping cover your petrol costs either
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I am glad to hear your sister is much better. Its stories like this that folk(unless directly involved like yourself) never hear about, as they are not reported by the press and therefore don’t feature in dimwit pub chat. There are endless amounts of front line public sector staff that go far and beyond what is asked of them and receive absolutely no recognition at all for it, just generalised crtitism that they are claiming some mileage for their efforts.
The general opinion of the public sector seems to be based on sensationalist one sided reporting or that a Shropshire Council Employee was spotted finishing at 4pm on a Friday afternoon while all the self employed business owners (you know the back bone of Tory Britain sorts) are sat there slogging away over their tax returns until 7pm.
By the way, I am a self employed business owner, have no personal connection to Shropshire Council and I do vote Tory. However I do have the ability to restrain myself from having small minded attitudes. Something which I practice regularily on a Friday afternoon until 7pm while doing my tax returns.
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I too must say what little dealings I have had with employees of the Council has been that they have always been very polite, attentive, professional and knowledgable
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Well said Helen.
It’s too often the case that people who are fortunate enough not to need many of our public services on an individual level are ready to dismiss the vital need that others have, and the good that the public service does.
It’s all part of the ‘me, me, me’ ethic.
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in the spirit of spartacus, i too would like to add that having just gone through a civil wedding i have found the service offered by the council to be excellent also
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very well said, may i add that the bin men who just emptied my bin and have been out in the pouring rain since 6 am do a brilliant job too !
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Thank you Helen and Speak Sense for your positive and thought provoking posts. I had grown to believe that a good society was based on thinking of others as well as ourselves. Britain has taught the world about caring for the elders, having a universal Health Service and access to help and support for children and young people in need. Yet there are some who would like to get rid of all that because ” is too expensive and it comes out of my pocket”. These people have no idea of how expensive it would be NOT to have these services, both in terms of social unrest and in moral terms. Did our parents and grandparents fight to build a better Britain all that time ago, so that we could throw it all away and only think of ME?
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What a short memory some people have, for the record, years ago the Local Council wanted to buy a fleet of pool cars, this was rejected by the employees, and they threatened to go on strike if the Council went ahead with the purchase of these cars. So they were never bought.
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