WARRINGTON council staff who have been unable to get into work during the cold weather have been outraged after being told they will be enforced to take the time off as paid annual leave or flexi time.
Some of those affected are angry because they couldn’t get into work due to ungritted roads or buses not turning up.
One employee said: “I stood in the freezing cold at a bus stop from 7.30am for nearly two hours but no bus turned up. I phoned my office and was told to go home and not to worry. I now find that I am being told I have to take the time off as annual leave or flexi time.
“If the council had gritted the roads properly I would have been able to get into work as the buses would have arrived on time.
“Is this how the council rewards its loyal staff who have endured so much in recent times with job re-evaluations and many of us still not knowing whether we have a job or not!
“I will certainly think twice now before going out of my way to do anything beyond the call of duty.
“Morale is rock bottom in some council departments and this is the icing on the cake!”
A spokesperson for the council said:“Throughout the current cold snap we have consistently advised all of our staff that if they are able to safely get into work then they should do so. Working from home has been recommended as an alternative though we appreciate this is not always an option for some teams and staff.
“If staff are unable to get in and cannot work from home then they will be required to use either annual leave or flexi leave to cover the time off. We have a commitment to maintaining as many of our services wherever and whenever possible which is what we’re trying to do now in the face of very changeable and unpredictable working and weather conditions.”
WARRINGTON council staff who have been unable to get into work during
the cold weather have been outraged after being told they will be
enforced to take the time off as paid annual leave or flexi time.
Staff will have to pay for time off
3333 Comments
Share.
About Author
Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
33 Comments
Council staff are lucky to have the option of being able to make good the time off as flexi time or holidays and therefore get paid, there many workers who have simply not been paid if they couldn’t get to work and with no option of recovering the docked pay.
It is absolutely terrible and a great measure of courage of the 53% that have recently had to endure a pay rise due to the job re-evaluations………. my heart bleeds
Each persons situation is relative to them. I find the two above comments most offensive, particularly Baz, the job evaluation was government lead and initiated 1998 to ensure that those "particularly" such as care staff and cleaners and traditionally low paid staff were recognised, it is NOT just a treat from WBC. And most did NOT get a rise so get you facts right before you shout your mouth off.
I know there are many who only get paid if they dont attend work, I feel very sorry for them, I'm not suggesting we're worse off than many others.
The fact of the matter is WBC were not prepared and still haven't gritted many many roads. There are still very few staff in today as the ice has added to the difficulties. I appreicate we cant stock pile grit "just in case" to a degree needed in these extreme circumstances as realistically they are rare but a bit of grit on a major "A" road isn't too much to ask is it???
And finally if anyones jealous of any "perks" we at WBC appear to have from the outside, come along and work here then, give it whirl. Some times it's not how much you do or don't get paid, some times its how you're treated and the environment in which you have to work that matters. Personally I'd take a pay cut and work for someone who I felt valued me but hey, what do I know.
And this comes from someone who has given his workers the week off because of the weather conditions? Are you paying them to be off BAZ????
This is a case of the council penalising its employees for the council’s failure to do its civic duty.
A choice of Annual leave or Flexi time sounds good to me…… Many people haven’t been able to get to work due to the conditions and a lot simply don’t get paid if they aren’t in or if their places of work were forced to close. We are two of them and so far this week have missed out on 5 days paid work between us. Maybe the council can re-imburse us ha ha 🙂
The council has never gritted the side roads as far as I am aware and has certainly never gritted the footpaths in recent years and still people have managed to get to work. Yesterday morning I managed to get from the Hull ferry port all the way back to Warrington with no incidents so it isn’t like there is a wall up around the town. I have paid my lads and won’t be getting them to take it as holiday, however a couple of lads have gone in today because of a deadline on a job we had to complete. I’m working from home because my little lads school is shut. SS, Mine is only a small company and because we have had a good year so far, we can absorb the cost involved; if we hadn’t they would have taken it as holiday. Simple. The council is massively in debt, we have just been told that 53% of the staff are getting a pay rise thanks to the re-evaluations and now they are moaning about having to take flexy or a days holiday because they couldn’t make it into work? The line has to be drawn somewhere and to be honest, if I worked for the council and managed to get into work and the guy at the next desk didn’t I would be a bit miffed that he got paid for not being there….. or are they going to offer those who made it in an extra days paid holiday as a reward for making the extra effort to get in? That would be the fair thing to do wouldn’t it? or would someone like to tell me where we are supposed to draw the line?
53% have had a pay rise…..are you forgetting about some that are having their pay cut? Its not a bed of roses for everyone – until you get all the facts you shouldn’t comment on such things. And if you weren’t getting paid what you should be, wouldn’t you complain? After all if others doing your job were being paid more it would be wrong. If you cannot get to work, you cannot get to work. You should not be penalised for the authorities not being prepared for every eventuality.
Don’t be so ridiculous…. where is the incentive to get to work if you get paid if you stay at home and don’t even try? If moral is as low as everyone seems to say, wouldn’t that just be a fantastic excuse for a day off with pay at the poll tax payers expense? and if you cannot get to work, why should you expect to be paid as a right? I can’t get my head around that one. Get to work, get paid. Don’t get to work, don’t get paid or take it as flexy or holiday. That is the fair solution for everyone, especially those that did get in. And as for getting all the facts; I have all the facts and the major fact that I as a poll tax payer am concerned with is that 53% of the council workforce are getting a payrise because of some politically correct piece of government nonsense. 47% of the staff are not getting a reduction are they?
Daily commute from Westbrook to Manchester by public transfer. Delayed on Tuesday but made it in and got back (walked from town as no busses). Since then normal. Trains on time (from Llandudno in the morning and Scarborough in the evening) and buses generally ruinning to time.
Why do i bother? Because I dont get paid if I dont. Dont see why the council shoudl be any different. Oh and my firm didnt give out pay rises either this year and morale aint high but if i dont turn in the company loses money.
Sorry but the disruptions are grossly over exagerated fro all bar the most remote locations.
Please note that as I work for the Council AND pay Council Tax and TAX , I actually contribute to my OWN wages……………………
Those that made the effort get paid, those that didn’t don’t. Simple innit, why should Council employees be any different?
Any other arrangements would be a cheats’ charter.
From what I understand Job Evaluation, did give 53% of the Council pay rises – the majority of the 53% were cleaners, bin men, care assistants, etc who were all the lowest paid. The rest of the staff either stayed the same or have had their salaries reduced – except the top brass who I understand have all had an increase whilst reducing numbers elsewhere !
Baz needs to come into the new millennium – Poll Tax was abolished in the 80’s if he is still paying it then he needs to speak to someone in the Council !!!!! Must be why he can afford to take days off with out pay !
The public sector really does itself no favours. I run my own business and only get paid for hours I work. At the moment my clients are all unable to work so I can’t work and I have no money coming in so I really don’t have any sympathy for these people.
It is the individuals resposibility to get to work, it is not the responsibility of the employer to get him there. If it were a manufacturing company, missing workers would probably contrubute to a drop in production which the company would have to absorb, why should they also have to pay for employee time off? It cannot be seen differently just because it’s public money.
Schools and works, shops etc. didnt close because of snow, the buses still ran. The roads got gritted and so did the pavements. My parents worked then and didnt stay home, but then that was in the old days when people were hardier.
Oh here we go again with the “oooh it was the poor binmen and cleaners who aren’t on a lot of money” trip again…. People don’t go into these jobs to earn £50,000 a year do they? The rates for those kind of jobs have always been low and that is how the world is. As for Poll Tax,, it may well have been abolished in the 80’s but here in Warrington, we still have a council building called Poll Tax House which was where the new fangled council tax was collected and so named as a snipe at the Tories by the then Labour run council…… as for days off without pay, I work for myself and haven’t had a payless day for 15 years!!
You may well do, but I also know of quite a few council employees who live in the Wigan Council Area or St Helens Council areas and they don’t
I really can’t be a**ed to read all the tripe that gets written by so many people in public service positions. Those of us in the private sector don’t get any government related protection when the economy suffers. Many people working for councils and the like have had a relatively easy time for years and as soon as the same starts to apply to them as everyone else they’re up in arms.
So some of them are blaming the council for not gritting!! Our council is a waste of time and too many people in public office seem to think they are a special case. For those this applies to (I’m sure you will recognise yoursleves) learn to get over yourselves and accept you are no different from the rest of the population.
I presume the teachers arent getting paid as the schools are closed.
I also work for WBC and made into work, BUT yet our managers were not and a couple off others, after talks back and to on our mobiles they told us to go home as there wasa’nt owt we could do! but rather than use our own inititive coz they don’t like that, as i’m just a dogs body worker i went home. Now to send me home when i got there after an 1 1/2 hrs then want the time back they must be havin laugh!!!!! Our bosses nearly always arrive late!! we get shouted at or docked time yet they can work the flexi system, they call it one council one rule for all, yeah! work in the office you got it cushy nice warm office or even work at home!!!! this should not be allowed do they get checked or do they turn it on so looks like working, and Job Evaluation never came good for me!!!!! a low morale worker!!!!
I also work for WBC and made into work, BUT yet our managers were not and a couple off others, after talks back and to on our mobiles they told us to go home as there wasa’nt owt we could do! but rather than use our own inititive coz they don’t like that, as i’m just a dogs body worker i went home. Now to send me home when i got there after an 1 1/2 hrs then want the time back they must be havin laugh!!!!! Our bosses nearly always arrive late!! we get shouted at or docked time yet they can work the flexi system, they call it one council one rule for all, yeah! work in the office you got it cushy nice warm office or even work at home!!!! this should not be allowed do they get checked or do they turn it on so looks like working, and Job Evaluation never came good for me!!!!! a low morale worker!!!!
“Those of us in the private sector don’t get any government related protection when the economy suffers. ”
Really? I thought the banks were in the private sector….deary me……..The banks got more money to bail them out than Local Government has got in the last two years.
It is good that the caring WBC have given their employees the option to take flexi or annual leave, this is the 21st century afterall… however I am sure that with jobs cuts soon on there way to subsidise the 53% people with increased wages and massive backpay of between £2,000/£12,000 because of the Job Evaluation.. all this snow leave will soon be forgotten.
This is what the employment experts say on the matter
Q:I am concerned about employee absence levels during these adverse weather conditions. I would like to know if my company is legally obliged to pay employees who fail to make it to work.
A:Under the terms of their contract of employment, employees are obliged to attend work. The contract applies even in adverse or extreme weather conditions. As an employer you would be therefore be within your rights to refuse to pay an employee if they are ‘snowed in’ or unable to get into the workplace due to public transport cancellations.
However, you do need to weigh up the financial cost to the business if you pay these employees versus the possible negative effect on long term staff morale and/or productivity if you choose not to pay them.
There are several options that you can consider depending on the nature of your business. These include paying your employees and allow them to make up the time lost at a later date, allowing your employees to perform their duties from home or allowing them to take the time off as part of their annual leave allocation.
Q:What if I suspect that an employee is using the weather conditions just as an excuse for not turning up to work?
A:If you suspected employees of using the weather conditions as an excuse to not come into work you should pursue the issue through your Company’s disciplinary procedure.
Q:What steps can I take now to prevent further problems when the bad weather hits next time?
A:You could consider introducing a policy on adverse weather conditions, or alternatively you could make alterations to your absence management policy to include a procedure for employees to follow when they are having difficulty getting to work, but you must make sure that you communicate any changes to all staff. Also, to avoid any misunderstanding any such policy or procedure should make it clear whether employees will or will not be paid for any days where they are unable to get to work.
Staff should be reminded that they are expected to make all reasonable efforts to get to work without feeling pressurised to risk their health and safety.
Tell you what, all Council Employee’s go home now and let the local people manage on their own, we’re ALAWAYS blamed if things go wrong, well sort you selves out if you can do it better, ungrateful lot.
Well, the binmen aren’t in, the street sweepers aren’t in; probably the only ones who are in are the ones preparing the council tax bills for next year complete with increase to cover all of the additional services we have come to expect like ungritted roads and footpaths. Why not give the binmen shovels and get them out clearing snow in front of school gates so the kids can go back to school and the rest of the population can then get back to work?
Baz…
you are forgetting WBC employee or not, this weather is dangerous for everyone,
maybe the general public who are fit and able should do a neighbourly gesture and help each other and do what we can in this time of adverse weather conditions.
BAZ – the bim men are not the whole of the Council you know, and any way their employers by LAW have a duty to ensure the well being of their Health and Safety at work whether you like it or not. They get a lot of flack, sometimes they do get it wrong, dont we all, but its a job most of us wouldn't do.
AVIEW – I can assure you that the neighbourly spirit both where I live and where I work is very well thank you.
GS – I've been advised and viewed by experts on TV and read in relevant LAW books on websites that if an employee has made reasonable efforts to get into work and can't ( which they do have a duty to do) and then rings their employer to advise them of their difficulties and the employer states along the lines of "ok well thanks for trying, hope to see you tomorrow" although they haven't actually said it out loud this "is" official authorisation to be off with permission and pay' having not discussed alternative working such making up hours another time if apprporiate etc and so the employer can not then on the employees return to work then state retrospective T&C's regarding the time off. So all employers beware what you say 🙂
the thing that seems to have been omitted from these discussions is that if you are told not to come in by your Manager as lots of people have the assumption is you are getting paid and or credited with the time. Had there been mention of deduction of pay or use of holidays then the employee can make an informed decision as to whether to risk coming into work or not. As it stands there was no mention of not being paid nor having to take leave. in fact some people were instructed they would be paid and credited with their time but this has now been recinded. Having worked for Local Authorities for over 20 years yes I would agree that 10 or 15 years ago the work was light-weight. Hoever, the last 5 years have involved loss of staff, reduction in pay, particularly with the cost of living being higher than the pay rises, increased work-loads, increasing pressure to save costs, inability to retain staff and 3 staffing reviews and department changes in the last 5 years alone. The frontline staff face abuse both in person and in the Warrington Guardian on a regular basis and yet these staff could not be further removed from the decision-making process. The weather has affected everyone but there is no doubt for some people it is too high a risk to walk into work. I myself have encountered all trains cancelled on Thursday, no buses along my route as it wasn’t gritted and faced over a 2 hour walk into work. when you arrive there are no managers as they claim to be snowed in and their 4-wheel drive vehicles can’t get them from their cottage in the countryside to Warrington. they work from home as they have laptops and connections all paid for by the residents of Warrington. there has been no concern showed or thank you to the people who have made it in. In fact the place is running better without them being there. it must also be accepted that if the schools close some people can’t come in as they have to be with their children. do they get paid as the decision to be off has been forced on them? if so does that mean the teachers and assistants aren’et being paid either. too many questions and too many people without the facts commenting and venting their frustration of their Council on the employees who have been treated appallingly lately.
It’s good to hear or in this case read that somebody has some sense and isn’t looking for a hand out. These Council workers should consider themselves lucky to even have a job.
Jaded…
The Council are an easy target for abuse and ill informed judgement, but you are right, more thanks should go to the WBC employees who are committted to providing excellent services, despite very poor management (in some sections) and lack of support financially from local and national government, the general public do not see the real worth of individuals/teams from WBC until the time when they call on their services or expertise.
Gritters have arrived at my place of work to grit the ice rink, sorry car park – erm few days late ……
Thanks to those in support
Some employees made it in to be sent home – I know my daughter did – the front line employees are that front line and unfortunately take the flack from the public (and worse if you count the antisocial behaviour some have to put up with day in and day out) it is therefore wrong for these same staff who DID battle through the awful conditions to have the dirty done to them by their managers in an effort to look good by saving money from an already overstretched budget. If they got in they should be paid after all they were TOLD to go home because their safety could not be guaranteed, they did not make the decision themselves.