TODAY there can be no disguising the depth of disquiet surrounding Birmingham City Council's
Seventy per cent of the workers offered new contracts connected with the pay plans have not signed them.
The figure was obtained by the Birmingham Mail under the Freedom of Information Act after the council refused to disclose the scale of its problem. Still the authority is refusing to discuss a difficult situation that threatens to descend into crisis.
The administration deserves some sympathy as it struggles with a huge problem.
The council is compelled by law to iron out pay inequalities under so-called single status legislation.
The blueprint is its attempt to comply with the law while at the same time not saddling tax-payers with a massive bill.
Transparency is crucial if the council is to convince the general public and its own workforce that its pay plans are fair and above board. Likewise a readiness to face up to the fact that vast numbers of council workers are refusing to sign up to the proposed new deals.
Birmingham's rulers must explain what they will do if its employees continue not to play ball.
Will workers be deemed to have dismissed themselves? How would the city function without them? Will the new contracts be imposed?
At a time when even councillors belonging to the Tory/LibDem coalition are expressing serious concern (see letter on this page) silence is not an option.
Comments (2)
With reference to the comments made by alan rudge .my wife is employed as a care assistant in a elderly care home and as worked in this post for the past 23 years.she will receive no recognition for this service when looking at her new pay scale and she will be expected to start at the bottom of the new incremental points system that birmingham council intend to implement.This means that she would have to work for a further nine years to gain a pay scale of sixteen thousand a year.This would also mean that she would not even get a decent pension because she will not reach her full pay at the time of her retirement.Does this appear to be equal pay to anybody.I don't think so, but I am sure mr Rudge will have a smart response.I have feel that my wife and her co-workers have been treated very unfairly and think that the whole thing needs to go back to the drawing board very quickly to avoid not only industrial action but the inevitable perpetuation of inequality.
Posted by mac | December 20, 2007 7:00 PM
Posted on December 20, 2007 19:00
Most ratepayers realise that the ordinary staff at the Council are hard working individuals who put in a full days work and receive a decent pay.
However can the same be said about the managers and other individuals who earn extortionate salaries for attendance at meetings wtc with Councillors (another waste of money) and who above a certain level have been 'excused' from being effected (preseumably it was they that decided this !!)!
If 'single status' was introduced throughout the workforce (and included a revaluation of Councillor's pay/perks) then some of the unfairness to the low paid could have been resolved and greater protection given to those effected (by say capping the salaries given to Managers/Councillors to reflect what they actually CONTRIBUTE to the services delivered)
Posted by Tell The Truth | January 19, 2008 7:51 PM
Posted on January 19, 2008 19:51