As Salford Council plans to impose its `take a pay cut or you're sacked' deal to staff (see here for previous Salford Star feature), others at the top end are doing rather nicely. Today we begin a series on the Fat Cats of Salford – those at the top of organisations relying on public money, Lottery handouts or charitable status…
Where else to begin but Salford Council itself, where there's a 15:1 ratio between the highest and lowest paid staff and where, last year, out of 301 jobs axed at the Council, 206 were workers who earned less than £20,000.
Top Fat Cat at Salford Council is, of course, Chief Exec, Barbara Spicer, who saw her annual package rise from £210,392 in 2010/11 to £211,607 in 2011/12, thanks to an increase in employer pension contributions.
Martin Vickers, Strategic Director for Customer and Support Services, saw his total package rise by over £20,000 - from £104,124 in 2010/11 to £124,346 in 2011/12. We believe he's the Council officer initiating the £15million wage cut to staff. That will be the wage cut that doesn't apply to anyone earning over £41,500.
Sue Lightup, Strategic Director for Community, Health and Social Care – currently in charge of cuts including the £80,000 axe for community care work staff - gets a package worth £133,777.
Ben Dolan, Strategic Director of Environment and Community Safety, trousers a package worth £124,038 – and he's in charge of slashing refuse collectors' wages by up to £10,000 (see here). Will Ben shed any tears for a street cleaner earning £16,830, who stands to lose £1,100 a year in the wage cut?
Salford City Mayor, Ian Stewart, pockets a £69,000 allowance – an increase of £30,735 on the previous allowance for the Leader of Salford City Council. John Merry picked up a `mere' £38,265. We're still trying to work out what the Mayor actually does to warrant such an increase. Sit on a bus? Slash staff wages? Give out prizes? Promise nothing? Tell everyone he wished he had a magic wand?
Salford Council has still got a Ceremonial Mayor, picking up £18,369 – surely he can give out prizes, sit on a bus, promise nothing etc?
Meanwhile, the City Mayor's Deputy, David Lancaster has really hit the jackpot with an allowance of £44,850: not far off double what he picked up last year (£24,717) as Deputy Leader.
And the Assistant Mayors are doing rather nicely too. Strategic Assistant Mayors and Assistant Mayors get £13,011 on top of their councillor basic of £10,080, making a total of £23,091, as per last year's Cabinet members. That's £23,091. And these posts are not full time. Many of them have jobs on the side too which we will be trying to disclose.
Other Assistant Mayors get £19,838 – a hike of over £3,500 compared to the £16,254 they were paid as mere `Executive Support Members'.
Wage rises, big salaries and allowances for one set of Salford Council Fat Cats – wage cuts or the sack for the lower paid…
Fat Cats of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, The Lowry, the Salford Foundation, Salford City College, University of Salford, NHS, Salford Royal Hospital, Salix Homes, Transport for Greater Manchester and lots, lots more!
See Part Two - click here
See Part Three - click here
See Part Four - click here
See Part Five - click here
See Part Six - click here
*This is an extended version of a feature that first appeared in Salford City UNISON magazine Stand Up For Salford - click here for online version
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