Councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have decided to freeze pay for all staff (including those earning less than £18,000) as of April. With inflation at around 3%, that effectively means a pay cut for anyone employed by a local authority. Councils say it's the only way to save jobs - do you agree?
yes, needs must. just glad to be in a secure job.
Absolutely.
Most trainers I know - including AMJ - have taken a cut of around 33% business volume and discounts on what we do get. We'll be happy just to survive the recession intact. There are businesses going to the wall right, left amnd centre at the moment.
A pay freeze would be heaven compared to the reality.
Cheers,
Stuart
Visit my blog at http://stuartsorensen.wordpress.com/
i suppose we dont have much choice if we want to keep our jobs but i would like to be assured that sooper dooper mangers at the top of the LA food chain are also having their pay freezed and well dont get me started on those bankers!
sorry for all the pedants out there i meant frozen! not freezed!
grrr and what about those of us whose LA's have been refusing to employ anyone on a permanent contract for over a year now. I was at a cross county training event last week and only 3 out of 12 people attending had a permanent contract. The 'recession' is affecting workers in more ways than just pay.
and on that note I am going to start another thread as I have just thought of something else to gripe about.
I was expecting it and am unsurprised. I wouldn't say I'm overjoyed but I'm not in any position to complain either as I am glad to have a secure job - and am certainly much more fortunate than many who don't have that (although saying that, they are planning some reconfiguring which is likely to lead to job cuts.. 'staff affected by change' documents are doing the rounds).
It will hit low-paid LA workers very hard, particularly with a new round of energy price hikes on the way.
I'm flabbergasted and disgusted that so many respondants to this thread seem to be meekly accepting this proposal to freeze [ie cut] our pay. The employers' use of the excuse that this is because of the recession is disingenuous and to say that it's to protect jobs is nothing less than scare tactics. The facts are that, since 1997, councils have had above inflation increases annually & overall, government funding for councils in England is set to increase by c 4% over the next year. Decent wage levels for rank & file LA workers are affordable [and how many senior officers and chief executives will have to face pay cuts?] This move by the employers is a political one. Their lies and arrogance must be challenged.
Nigel reigate - I totally agree with you
nigel reigate: I'm flabbergasted and disgusted that so many respondants to this thread seem to be meekly accepting this proposal to freeze [ie cut] our pay. The employers' use of the excuse that this is because of the recession is disingenuous and to say that it's to protect jobs is nothing less than scare tactics. The facts are that, since 1997, councils have had above inflation increases annually & overall, government funding for councils in England is set to increase by c 4% over the next year. Decent wage levels for rank & file LA workers are affordable [and how many senior officers and chief executives will have to face pay cuts?] This move by the employers is a political one. Their lies and arrogance must be challenged.
well go paint your placards and start a protest.me, i live in the real world.realpolitik=good.
give LA workers a pay rise, then justify not giving one too the teachers, nhs, police and other civil servants..........
delusional.
titchmagoo: nigel reigate: I'm flabbergasted and disgusted that so many respondants to this thread seem to be meekly accepting this proposal to freeze [ie cut] our pay. The employers' use of the excuse that this is because of the recession is disingenuous and to say that it's to protect jobs is nothing less than scare tactics. The facts are that, since 1997, councils have had above inflation increases annually & overall, government funding for councils in England is set to increase by c 4% over the next year. Decent wage levels for rank & file LA workers are affordable [and how many senior officers and chief executives will have to face pay cuts?] This move by the employers is a political one. Their lies and arrogance must be challenged. well go paint your placards and start a protest.me, i live in the real world.realpolitik=good. give LA workers a pay rise, then justify not giving one too the teachers, nhs, police and other civil servants.......... delusional.
Just the sort of offensive drivel we've come to expect from you, Mr T. Keep it up! It's always entertaining.
I think you will find that some of these groups have multi-year deals, which will be honoured. So, yes, they will get a pay rise in 2010. I think the delusion may lay elsewhere.
nigel reigate: titchmagoo: nigel reigate: I'm flabbergasted and disgusted that so many respondants to this thread seem to be meekly accepting this proposal to freeze [ie cut] our pay. The employers' use of the excuse that this is because of the recession is disingenuous and to say that it's to protect jobs is nothing less than scare tactics. The facts are that, since 1997, councils have had above inflation increases annually & overall, government funding for councils in England is set to increase by c 4% over the next year. Decent wage levels for rank & file LA workers are affordable [and how many senior officers and chief executives will have to face pay cuts?] This move by the employers is a political one. Their lies and arrogance must be challenged. well go paint your placards and start a protest.me, i live in the real world.realpolitik=good. give LA workers a pay rise, then justify not giving one too the teachers, nhs, police and other civil servants.......... delusional. Just the sort of offensive drivel we've come to expect from you, Mr T. Keep it up! It's always entertaining.
let me assure you sir, i find your offensive drivel equally entertaining.
it's like reading a scottish socialist website. delusional nonsense. but damn good fun.
Nigel
I agree
not only have councils had increases but also many have increased their unallocated reserves (ie despite saying at budgetting time that they are drawing on reserves the reality is they have underspent and banked money)
our council's medium term financial strategy includes 2.5% for pay
with the government talking of 1% (crap) anyone who thinks people will settle for less is living in cloud cuckoo land
One or two do perhaps inhabit that land!
I think that yes i guess some people are happy to just be employed but as a third year student i dont see my future sw career having an easy few years with LA cutting back. You may be gald to settle, but you should be outraged they have reduced you to meekly curling up in the corner for fear that you get noticed.
"We speak, and the word goes out beyond us, to consequences and ends which we had not conceived of." - Gadamer
I guess as long as I get my yearly double-scale point increases then I won't mind so much.
titchmagoo: me, i live in the real world.
me, i live in the real world.
Me too. I live in a real world where I have a mortgage and bills, and a pay cut would be a real problem.
I don't see why public sector workers should have to bear the brunt of an economic collapse caused by the private sector. If there's money to bail the banks out, there should be money to pay us.
Kirst
Take a look a what Dave Prentis said about bankers this weekend
http://www.unison.org.uk/efocus/newsletter124.asp
and in full at
http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=1712
Personally, I take being called 'meek' and 'curling up in the corner' offensive.
Surely we have the right to adopt different sides of an argument without name-calling. Is it so wrong to be content with my wage and terms and conditions - does that imply a meek subservience? I wouldn't expect anyone knowing me would accuse me of subservience, I just have other battles to fight to be honest. I'm not saying everyone should be thinking the same way as me and those who don't have the right to protest. So my right not to protest or object is one that can be respected as well?