Star date: 15th October 2012

`SICK' SALFORD LABOUR – ONLY COUNCIL IN COUNTRY TO THREATEN SACK IF STAFF DON'T TAKE PAY CUTS

"This is absolutely sickening behaviour from this local authority and we've got to stand against it" Steve North Salford City UNISON

At a well attended lobby against ruling Labour councillors this evening, Salford City UNISON branch secretary Steve North launched a scathing attack on the Council for its "sickening and disgraceful" attitude towards industrial relations.

Salford Council is proposing to impose wage cuts of £15million that will see over half of its staff on reduced pay. And if they don't accept the cuts by January they will be sacked.

Full story and photos here…

"For us to be treated like this by people who are earning three… four… five… six times as much as the people doing those jobs is sickening and disgraceful…" Steve North

Members of public sector trade unions, Salford City UNISON, GMB and UNITE the union, turned out this evening to lobby Labour Party councillors attending a Labour Group meeting at the Civic Centre in Swinton.

Council staff and unions are furious that the Council wants to impose pay cuts of up to 4.7% to save £15million off its wage bill - and has given them the ultimatum of accepting reduced pay by January 6th 2013, or be sacked (see full background in previous Salford Star article – click here).

Councillors were handed letters urging them to put pressure on Mayor Ian Stewart and their colleagues to withdraw the `take it or be dismissed' proposals.

Strategic Assistant Mayor, Councillor Paul Dennett (allowances £23,091 with no wage cut in sight), who has special responsibility for `Humanegement and Workplace Reform', stopped to talk to trade union members* and argued that there must have been some "misunderstanding" about the draconian way in which the negotiations were handled…

…About ten minutes later, Steve North, Salford City UNISON branch secretary, addressing trade unionists through a megaphone outside the chamber window where councillors were meeting, made it absolutely clear what the staff's position was…

"We know that this [proposal] will make things even more difficult for people who are struggling under a pay freeze from the national ConDem Government, and we do not expect these sort of tactics and this sort of approach from a Labour Council" he said "We are not aware of any other council in England that has taken these steps, where they have threatened the workforce with the possibility of dismissal and re-engagement if they do not sign up to the terms and conditions that lower our pay. It is absolutely astounding that they thought they could get away with this; that they could hand such a document over to us and we would say `That's fine get on with it'…

"This is absolutely sickening behaviour from this local authority and we've got to stand against it…We want these proposals withdrawing immediately. If they want to talk to us about pay and grading they can do …and reach a negotiated settlement. That's how things are supposed to work. What we do not expect is a document sliding down the table in front of us telling us that the clock has started ticking and, if the trade unions don't agree to this, staff will be contacted individually to sign up to it; and if staff don't do that they will be dismissed and re-engaged on new terms and conditions in April next year. It's absolutely shocking and appalling.

"If this document is not withdrawn we have got to consider what action we need to take. Our members have been very, very clear that we do not want to take strike action necessarily. But I'll tell you what, if they want to play these games and if they believe this is how industrial relations are supposed to work in this city we cannot rule that out.

"We have sent a clear message today and we will continue to send a clear message that we are not prepared to stand for this and we will fight this by any means that we need to. I said to Councillor Dennett round the front, if they want to take this document off the table and want us to sit down and talk about pay and grading we will do so tomorrow. But not on the basis of a document that puts a gun to our heads. 

"We are the people who keep this city going. We are the people who, despite job losses of our colleagues and services being slashed, still get up every morning, come to work and do difficult jobs to make sure this city operates. For us to be treated like this by people who are earning three…four…five…six times as much as the people doing those jobs is sickening and disgraceful…"

The trade unions were joined on the lobby by community activists and the United Service User Committee, USUC, campaigning against cut to mental health services…

"We're supporting everybody's campaigns because we're fighting for the same things" said Vee Ball Chair of USUC "We're not prepared to see people suffer any more."

* While Strategic Assistant Mayor, Councillor Paul Dennett (allowances £23,091 with no wage cut in sight), who has special responsibility for `Humanegement and Workplace Reform', was speaking to trade unionists he told the Salford Star that "I don't give you consent to take my photograph". Tough cookies, Mr Strategic Assistant Mayor. You were standing in a public place and we suggest that you read this from the Police website…

"Taking photographs in a public place: There is no law saying that you cannot take photos…No one has the right to ask the photographer to stop, to ask for a copy of the photos or to get them to delete photos unless it is in relation to indecent images."

Perhaps it's just indecent power going to your head…