Council plans to cut social workers’ pay by over £1,000

Southampton Council has approved plans to slash social workers’ pay by more than £1,300.

Staff earning between £22,000 and £35,000 will receive a 4.5% pay cut in 2011-12, rising to 5% for those earning between £35,000 and £65,000, the council announced this week.

Registered social workers, who earn £30,000 a year on average nationally, according to research by Incomes Data Services, will see their pay packets reduced by £1,350.

The entire package will save the council more than £5m, which will contribute towards the overall savings target of £25m in 2011-12.

The Conservative-run council last month revised its proposals for a 5% pay cut for all staff following protests from unions.

Unite and Unison threatened to ballot for strike action if the changes, which would have affected all staff including the council’s 140 social workers, went ahead.

But the council has agreed to protect social care workers earning less than £17,500 from the cuts and give all employees earning less than £21,000 a flat £250 pay rise. A proposal to cut sick pay has been scrapped.

The council has also announced its intention to recruit more social workers, although it is not yet known how many.

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