Forum Topic

Council staff to tighten belts further

At Westminster today the suggestion was mooted that all council officer salaries should be capped at £50,000. This might be extended to board members of contractors like Enterprise and Serco. That's twice the average annual salary. I thought coming back on the train that this was a jolly good idea. Just the sort of idea that might protect the lowest paid and council services at the same time. Just the sort of idea that would appeal to a Labour council. Anyone in favour and anyone against?

Arthur Breens ● 4753d7 Comments

"Not everybody gets sick pay now. "I should, of course, have said the majority.

Nigel Brooks ● 4753d

Not everybody gets sick pay now. stautory sick pay is payable only after the first four days and then with a doctors note, sick pay is approx £80 a week after.  I dont think any council workers get that. As for everyone getting good holiday pay, well i'm self employed so I wouldn't know what good is.

Marie Shelny ● 4753d

There ARE significant profits in retail in the well-run/ well-managed companies. To attract people from the private sector to run big budgets it's an 'unfortunate truth' that you have to pay.What irks me are those who have benefitted from 'non-jobs' created by the last administration. Woefully over-manned are now cutting masses of staff and the result: efficiently run operations with the appropriate level of resourcing. That, of course is no comfort to the people who lose those 'non-jobs' and who will no doubt blame the current government for losing something that never really existed in the first place and was only created to massage unemployment levels in 'blackspot' areas.

Nigel Brooks ● 4753d

Far from everyone in the private sector have had pay rises in the past few years, their wages often depend on profit and you can see how much less profit has been made say in retail for one example, share holders want thier cut first. Ok so maybe more has to be paid to attract the right calibre of person for certain posts but government/councils cant run buisnesses and are often ripped off. Just like they are being by bankers working for the now 'state owned banks' they are stating their price and getting it, by threatening to go elsewhere. I would call thier bluff tell them to go elsewhere because there arent the jobs elsewhere.

Marie Shelny ● 4753d

It's a pay cut for the highest paid.Everyone gets good holiday now and sick pay. It probably would be a pay cut which could not ever be implemented on existing employees without many 'actions' for breach of contract etc.The simple answer is to reduce the number of "assistant deputy heads of department" roles to release money to pay the lowest paid more or open up new opportunities at the bottom of the pay scales.

Nigel Brooks ● 4753d

Yep. No objection from me!  £50,000's a very good wage for them. They have good holidays, sick pay etc. Is that a pay cut?  How much do they usually average?

Marie Shelny ● 4753d

No one would work in the public sector if it was capped at that level I'm afraid. Although £50,000 is a fair amount of money and beyond the dreams of many of the low-paid council staff it would not attract the calibre of person who could manage a multi-million pound budget or significant workforce.What is needed is a rebalancing to reduce management 'layers' and release funds to create roles at the lower levels.I have a lot of empathy for the lower grade council staff who have not had a pay rise for five years. All of the school support staff for example have seen no pay increase since 2008. There is no way that that would happen in the private sector. it is a credit to the hardworking staff at 'the lower level' that they hang in there. Although I suspect the lack of similar jobs elsewhere has something to do with that many who I know are intensely loyal and committed to the jobs they do and the people that they serve.

Nigel Brooks ● 4753d