Shropshire Council bosses escape 'pay cut'

Shirehall boss Kim Ryley and other top level managers will escape "pay cuts" facing thousands of Shropshire Council staff, it emerged today.

The news comes as a county demonstration was staged to protest at the axing of public sector jobs and services.

Thousands of council workers are being asked to reduce their contracted hours from 37 to 35 a week - effectively a pay cut of about five per cent.

But chief executive Mr Ryley, who earns £180,000 a year, and 60 senior officers are not contracted to work set hours and are exempt from the proposal.

The biggest trade union at the council said its members were "absolutely outraged".

It is estimated that the reduction in working hours at Shropshire Council, along with other changes to staff terms and conditions, will net the council £7 million over the next three years.

The changes are currently out to consultation with staff and unions.

Mr Ryley said 60 staff out of a total workforce of more than 9,000 non-schools employees did not currently hold contracts that restricted their hours of work.

He said: "Shropshire Council has recently undertaken a major review of its senior management structure, which has reduced the number of positions in the top four tiers by 30 per cent.

"The council has deliberately reviewed this area of the authority first, to protect the jobs of vital frontline staff and essential services for local people. All management posts have been redesigned involving a significant increase in the responsibilities and workloads of each position.

"In addition to this, pay levels have already been frozen for at least the next two years. Although the review is yet to be completed, 80 posts have already been deleted, making savings for the council of £4 million in the first year alone.

"Overall, the management review has been developed to reduce total overheads by at least 20 per cent. This is a far greater contribution than is being asked of any other group of staff in the council

"Within their roles, senior managers are expected to work additional or irregular hours to effectively deliver the services they provide, without additional salary payment. As such, they are not contracted to work a set hourly week and regularly work well in excess of 37 hours detailed within other employee contracts."

He said a 90-day consultation period was under way and no changes would be made until September at the earliest.

Patricia Wilson, Shropshire branch secretary of Unison, said members were "absolutely outraged".

"When Mr Ryley speaks of the frontline that is where many of our members work and they are not on very high salaries. They also work above their contracted hours."

Lou Gladden deputy branch secretary, said staff on contracts were regularly working as many as 40, 50 or 60 hours a week.

Mr Gladden said the union had sought legal advice and warned there was a "serious potential for litigation".

More than 1,000 people were expected to take part in the Shropshire Fights Back protest march in Shrewsbury today.

By Dave Morris