Unions have warned of potential industrial action if Northampton Borough Council tries to impose changes in terms and conditions that they claim would hit the salaries of the local authority’s lowest paid workers.
The Council’s approval of new pay structures and cuts in allowances led more than 200 angry workers to stage a demonstration outside County Hall last week during their lunch break. They were protesting at the fact that 28% of the local authority’s 15,000 workforce are facing pay cuts following a salary review.
Members of Unison, the NUT and GMB unions were all present at the demonstration and branch secretary of Unison in Northamptonshire GMB organiser Stuart Richards said that if the council tried to impose the proposals on staff, it would consult with its members over “appropriate action”.
He claimed that the changes in terms and conditions would not affect the authority’s highest earners, but would only apply to its 1,110 lowest paid, with more than one in 10 losing over £2,500.
“Employees were given assurances that any new terms and conditions would not be an excuse for further savings. These proposals contradict that commitment, with an estimated saving on the approved employee budget of more than £350,000 in 2013,” he said.
Staff had also been assured that anyone losing money as a result of the changes would be protected within the scope of what the law allows. In reality, however, the amount of protection was much less than that offered by other local authorities, he added.
“We will continue to try and negotiate with the council to achieve outcomes that meet the needs of our members and any reasonable financial constraints of the council. However, we will not accept the proposals as they currently stand. If the council tries to impose these proposals, we will consult with GMB members regarding appropriate action,” Richards warned.
Steve Bennett, branch secretary for Unison in Northamptonshire, who is facing a £4,000 wage cut, also told the Northants Evening Telegraph that the union planned to ballot for strike action.
But the council’s deputy leader Councillor Joan Kirkbride responded: “The last government called for this review because they wanted equal pay for women. There are some losers and I have sympathy with them, but there are others who have been underpaid for years and will receive more.”
The pay review took place under the Single Status Agreement, which was intended to ensure consistency in council pay scales across the country. The new pay rates came into force this April, but those who will see their pay reduced had been told it would be protected for a year.
