TOWN Hall unions at Warrington are planning a protest at the next meeting of the borough council on Monday, September 9 over what they describe as “immoral” pay rises for senior managers.
UNISON, GMB and Unite claim a senior management restructure to be considered by the council includes a new pay and grading structure for senior managers will mean some receive salary increases of between 4.4 per cent and 13.3 per cent.
These will far exceed the one per cent national pay award that the government put in place via a cap on pay increases.
In a joint statement, the unions say: “It seems that senior management are exempt from any pay cap and can be accommodated by an external review that puts into place a pay and grading structure that has not been consulted on.”
Jason Horan, joint branch secretary for UNISON said: “The senior management pay increases are both immoral and inappropriate at a period of sustained austerity and increased reduction of staff to deliver vital 
public services in Warrington.”
He said the council had attempted to justify the substantial pay increases by stating there was an overall saving from the senior management structure which has been, reduced meaning senior managers have taken on more responsibility.
“Warrington Borough Council have not justified such substantial increases to pay, and to state that they do not want to lose good senior officers is just another excuse that the council have put forward when attempting to defend the proposed increases”
Bob Pinnock, GMB branch secretary said: “The trade unions’ position is that the whole council has suffered a reduction in employee numbers over that last few years, an issue which is a continuing trend.
“Workloads and responsibilities have increased and continue to increase for all staff yet there hasn’t been any local pay increases implemented as a result of this.
“In fact Warrington Borough Council refused to pay the recent £250 one off pay award announced by the Government instead opting to follow the national employer’s stance of a pay freeze.”
Rank-and-file council workers have just been awarded a one per cent pay award following a three year pay freeze, with pay still below the increases suffered by domestic and utility bills.
UNISON and GMB have also raised concern that officers will be slotted directly into a post even if that means it is a higher graded position, without being put through any competitive interview process as would be expected of any lower graded staff.
Pam Howard, joint branch secretary, UNISON, said: “The ‘slotting’ in of officers to these higher paid positions is totally inappropriate. Staff within the council have to go through a very robust re-grade process to have any hope of a pay increase, with some facing reduced salary as the result of recent restructures, so to see senior managers receive hefty rises will undoubtedly have an impact on moral”.
She said the council was also considering further proposals to review terms and conditions to the tune of £250,000 that will have an impact on union members and all council staff and see them hit financially.
Mr Pinnock added: “Staff across the council at all levels are up in arms over this proposal and are questioning ongoing cuts to services which will impact on the residents of this town – £14 million pounds of cuts this year and a projected £15 million pounds of cuts next year. “Shouldn’t the council be leading from the top?”
The unions are urging council tax payers to contact their local councillor and express their views. They should also attend the demonstration whichwill start from 5pm next Monday.
The council’s executive member for personnel, Cllr Hitesh Patel (pictured), said: “We’ve had to cut council spending so we’ve cut the number of senior management posts. That necessarily means some senior managers have bigger responsibilities than previously. To make sure we’re matching pay and responsibility in a way that’s fair and reasonable, we asked an independent body to assess how much these managers should be paid. This is a good practice accepted by industry and professions throughout the country.
“The bottom line is that this proposal will save the taxpayer more than £200,000 over a year, compared with the current senior management structure.”
Union anger over immoral pay rises
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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.
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As a resident of this town I feel it is totally immoral for the senior staff at this council to receive such a pay increase, coming in the footsteps of huge cuts imposed on other services. Stand up and take responsibility and strengthen staff moral by stopping such absurd increases and make other staff feel more secure in their positions. We as residents want a good service from our council and we don’t want to be continually faced with cuts to the services provided. Take a bite of reality and get on with providing an adequate service rather than developing in to the fat cats that we as residents see the senior members of this council.
One of the notable aspects of this story is that the unions are complaining that they are not getting the same level of pay rise as senior managers. That’s fair enough to an extent but both unions and senior employees are forgetting where this money comes from. Are the people of Warrington enjoying pay rises of between 4 and 13 per cent while council tax increases and other charges are introduced and services withdrawn?
If we carry on like this, the main function of the council will be to pay and perpetuate itself, not actually do anything.
what about a rise for the carers,the council seem to forget,we are the ones who do all the pysical work to keep these homes running ,and to ensure clients get the best of care.but we get no thanx for it, we dont get the pay we deserve,never mind management getting more …a lot more.
Don’t concern yourself Ethel, In twelve month’s time all these council essential jobs will have been outsourced anyway .In other words their won’t be any thing for the managers to manage sop you won’t then need the managers
Next thing the councillors will be putting in for an increase in their allowances. I’ll put a bet on and the odds are a a lot better than doing the lottery twice a week
How many senior managers have been removed and how much did it cost to remove them?
Those who stand to gain most from this misguided largesse have already shown themselves to be well below par as managers. History will show senior managers of most WBC departments have consistently failed to demonstrate their apparently ‘must have at all costs’ management skills in the growing list of cxxx ups that have become part of everyday life in this borough. Those in social services, through to planning and onto highways – to name but a few – have tried to conceal their management shortcomings, by rubbishing complainants, passing the buck or offering our perennial stand-by of ‘lessons learned’, or a combination of all three.
Giving more responsibility to managers already shown to be at best inadequate or, at worst and for the most part incompetent is really throwing good money from generated by the private sector after bad.
Cllr Patel’s assurance that “we’re matching pay and responsibility in a way that’s fair and reasonable, we asked an independent body to assess how much these managers should be paid”, will convince no one. For him to add “This is a good practice accepted by industry and professions throughout the country”, shows just how far those who manage and/or mismanage the public sector have drifted from reality and the hard facts of economic life.
In this respect Eagle question is very significant because it gets to the nub of how inadequate or incompetent managers are dealt with in the public sector. They are airbrushed out of the authority they mismanaged only to reappear at another without a stain on their records and generous pension entitlements preserved – yet another example of throwing good private sector money after bad whilst preserving bad managers and management practices.
Good question Eagle, so no savings then!!!!!! Lets hope a full and thorough debate takes place next week, and that elected councillors have the guts to vote the right way, but guess some will be instucted to tow the party line and do exactly as they are told!!
Good news Eagle, the two who come most readily to mind, both left of their own accord, and at no cost to WBC, to take up even more senior and far better paid positions elsewhere.
Did those two jump. or were they pushed??????? And what about the rest – very expensive exits I guess!!!
They neither jumped or were pushed, both sought and obtained career promotions elsewhere….quite often people do move on of their own accord, and that is exactly what happened in these cases, so nothing out of the ordinary or untoward, just two people with ambition and ability. WBC publishes details of all senior employee salaries and payments in its annual accounts, and readers can judge the figures for themselves.
And judge them in the context of the mess these employees have made of certain things.
Predictable from you. Just for the record, what do you do for a living?
Are you of those who left of their own accord, and at no cost to WBC, to take up even more senior and far better paid positions elsewhere?
If it makes you happy………………………..yes