MSP demands answers in single status pay row

Kevin McRoberts • Published 20 Jan 2010 15:32 65 Comments

OCHIL MSP Keith Brown says employees of Clackmannanshire Council believe the implementation of the single status pay agreement is being used to cut pay in an attempt to resolve the current budget crisis.

And he says he is now demanding answers from the council to find out whether their claims have any foundation.

But, once again, the council has reiterated that there is no link between the £9 million 'black hole' in the authority's budget revealed in November last year and the impending changes to the pay structure.

And council leader, Councillor Janet Cadenhead, has stressed the single status pay deal will have no impact on the current budget difficulties - because it doesn't come into force until 2013-14.

However, after meeting a number of local authority staff, Mr Brown told the Advertiser, "I find it very worrying that employees of Clackmannanshire Council have cause to believe that their pay structure has been affected by the mis-management of council funds.

"Clackmannanshire Council is facing a financial deficit of £9 million which is around eight per cent of the total revenue budget; people may recall the similar problems faced by Aberdeen City Council where the deficit was five per cent, so this shows the scale of our local council's financial difficulties.

"It is not surprising, under the circumstances, that the staff fear they are being used to plug a small part of the council's financial black hole."

Mr Brown added, "At the moment I do not know whether there is any foundation to these concerns but I have written to the chief executive, Angela Leitch, requesting full details of the single status process and will be in a position to comment further when I receive this.

"I have also written to the leader of the council urging her and council officials to meet with staff to address their concerns as a matter of urgency."

Concern

Ms Cadenhead said she was extremely concerned that some staff believed the single status pay agreement was being used to help tackle the current financial problems and setting the budget for 2010-11.

She told the Advertiser, "I would ask people to think this through. If, for example, you have difficulty paying your mortgage or for a holiday in this current year, knowing that something is going to happen three years from now is not going to help.

"The single status pay agreement does not come into place until 2013-14. It doesn't help with this year's budget, it doesn't help with 2011-12 or 2012-13.

"And even when it does come in, our pay bill will go up by three per cent."

According to the council, while the majority of workers will either remain on the same pay level or see their pay increase, around a quarter of the workforce could see their pay reduced after the three-year protected period.

Ms Cadenhead said she recognised people were unhappy with the evaluation process, and was aware of the detrimental effect on staff morale.

But she added, "There is a way forward for staff who are not happy with the evaluations. I would urge everyone who is unhappy with their evaluation to go down the informal and formal appeals process."

Grahame Blair, the council's director of service to people, said that

single status was a national agreement to address legal requirements of equality between people doing jobs of equal value. All councils were required to implement single status and the process had been planned for some years.

Mr Blair added, "While the council is currently working to present a balanced budget for 2010-11, financial provision for single status has already been planned and put in place.

"This message has been made clear to managers, on the council's intranet, and will also feature in the next staff newsletter.

Process

A review process, which staff are invited to take part in if they feel their position has been wrongly assessed, has been agreed with trade unions.

"Staff have been encouraged to attend trade union meetings to explain the single status process and each individual has received a detailed pack of information about their post, the new scheme and the review process.

"There are also formal processes for staff to appeal against the outcome of the job evaluation exercise.

"Further questions are being answered on the council intranet and through line managers.

"Should any member of staff have a question about single status, we encourage them to ask their line manager, email singlestatus@clacks.gov.uk or call 01259 452009."

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• 

  Angry Bystander
  Unregistered User
  Jan 20, 18:24
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  Yet again the repetition of various lies from Council seniors and its glorious leader, Ms Cadenhead, who would probably jump if the CE asked her to. More than 25% of staff have been red circled and even those who have been 'white circled', i.e. supposedly staying the same, will be working more hours in order to achieve this. In other words, their hourly rate will go down. When is a cut in rate not a pay cut? And we can repeat and repeat and repeat that if you are in an administrative / clerical role and, in all probability female, it is almost certain that you will have a pay cut. Single status was meant to achieve equity and fai
  
  ess. The process in Clacks has achieved the very opposite!
  
  We also have to ask why the results of the single status review, which, based upon information available, achieved very different results, as compared to this which were revealed after the revelation of the budget hole.
  
  I would normally have no time for Mr Brown, but on this occasion I'm looking forward to him, and the independently minded councillors (e.g. not the one quoted in this article) getting stuck in!
  
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  Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf
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  Jan 20, 18:47
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  There are no pay cuts at Clackmannanshire Council. All staff are green circles. There is no budget blackhole at the council. All staff are very very happy at their work.
  
  On another note, there are still no Americans in Baghdad.
  
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  Judas L'Escargot
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  Jan 20, 19:10
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  At the end of the day, in these times of budget difficulties, the council needs to focus resources where they are most needed and concentrate on high priority spend - For example, all the hefty pay cuts will handily free up thousands of much needed pieces of silver to fund the new council logo that's due to be designed.
  
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• 

  Council worker
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  Jan 20, 20:40
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  i hope keith brown gets to the bottom of all this mess.
  
  New logo "judas"?!?
  
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• 

  council worker
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  Jan 20, 21:28
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  Go on Keith and kick ass i am fed-up with the lies the council keep spouting about single-status not being a cover up for their incompetence regarding the £9 million shortfall
  
  What planet is the chief executive and the council leader on its the same rubbish they keep spouting in the Advertiser every week.
  
  I would like to see them living on £11,500 a year in 3 yrs time that would bring them down to earth from the other planet their on!
  
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• 

  Red
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  Jan 20, 21:46
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  Ltes stick to the facts
  
  Council has not got enough money to run its projects. It has used single status to cut the wage bill cutting the wage bill of all its most low paid workers, decimated its admin officers (mostly women) crucified the caters and cleaners (mostly women)and restructured itself getting rid of all Heads of Service thus cutting its wage bill by £400,000.
  
  For an organisation that puts Commitment, Trust and Partnership, Openness and Accountability, Respect and Dignity, and Equity, Fai
  
  ess and Inclusion at its heart see http://www.clacks.gov.uk/council/priorityoutcomes/I think it needs to purchase a dictionary and read what this means!!
  
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• 

  another council worker
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  Jan 20, 21:49
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  Its an outrage that the Chief Exec of the council are not included in the single status. The single status should be applied to the whole council, starting at the top!! It does say that we can appeal - but this can (and will knowing Clack Council) take up to 3 years. This is definately to cover up the the incompetence of the council - if this massive mistake had been made in a business heads would roll.
  
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• 

  worker
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  Jan 20, 21:51
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  Despite being made redundant All senior management keep their 2% annual increase while staff such as cleaners, catering staff, bin men, care workers, social workers and call centre workers experience as much as 25% decreases in wages for some this is as much as £7,000 drop in wages. They are also planning to make staff work for an extra hour for no extra pay.
  
  The council also has announced a £9m deficit in its budget. Sounds more like a cost saving exercise than an equalities pay exercise. Also why are senior management, craft workers and teachers exempt from this. This has been announced to staff 2 weeks before Christmas
  
  Furthermore why have elected members agreed to this I blame the labour party. voted in to look after the working class and who do they punish the low paid workers of the organisation while the fat cats of senior management keep their fat cat wages.
  
  It would also appear that the HR Management team got a pay rise of out of this something is not right
  
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  Angry Bystander
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  Jan 20, 22:17
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  Labour may be in control, worker, but the main problem as far as this group is concerned is that you have several who haven't got the intelligence to see what the Leitch is doing and will nod their heads in agreement to anything they're asked to. They aren't able to question what she's up to because they don't see what she's up to. An insufficient number of them are able to question what's going on!
  
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  I M Raging
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  Jan 20, 23:20
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  council leader, Councillor Janet Cadenhead, has stressed the single status pay deal will have no impact on the current budget difficulties - because it doesn't come into force until 2013-14. Janet Cadenhead is forgetting that the council are holding back 2 weeks pay in April '10 to put 1.3 million in thier pot and making everyone work an extra hour a week for no extra pay so don't dare say this will not affect anyone until 2013-2014. With any luck you and your so called Labour council will not be there. You have the cheek to go on about appeals proccess even this is corupt as the so called people who signed the jobs off will be the ones sitting on the appeals panel so how can it be a fair trial!!
  
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• 

  bob
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  Jan 21, 00:10
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  Ms Cadenhead said she was extremely concerned that some staff believed the single status pay agreement was being used to help tackle the current financial problems and setting the budget for 2010-11. Ms Cadenhead should be extremely concerned as the single status agreement is being used to tackle the financial problems, and the Leitch and Blair and who ever is running finance now is not telling the full storyrnShe told the Advertiser, "I would ask people to think this through. If, for example, you have difficulty paying your mortgage or for a holiday in this current year, knowing that something is going to happen three years from now is not going to help. How patronising and naïve can you get, you have no idea, that statement says it all people have thought it through that's why they are saying what they are saying. It happens in april, 35 hours to 36 it's a cut. Salary scales cut happening now. No pay rise now, allowances now. Do you get it Ms Cadenhead now
  
  "The single status pay agreement does not come into place until 2013-14. It doesn't help with this year's budget, it doesn't help with 2011-12 or 2012-13. Yes it does as above, I did not think she was that thick, of course if she gets booted out at the next election she will get a nice pension. No wonder you are taking in the spin and propaganda
  
  "And even when it does come in, our pay bill will go up by three per cent." Yes for those and such as those. Shall we have a guess now? How about two senior HR managers for start.
  
  According to the council, while the majority of workers will either remain on the same pay level or see their pay increase, around a quarter of the workforce could see their pay reduced after the three-year protected period. Again correct if you use the council figures but it is amazing what you can do with figures isn't it. Look again and ask the staff without dobbing them in Ms Cadenhead to the Leitch
  
  Ms Cadenhead said she recognised people were unhappy with the evaluation process, and was aware of the detrimental effect on staff morale. I am glad she got that one right but again no idea Ms Cadenhead you have understated the effect on staff morale.
  
  Oh and while we are here. How much has all this cost?
  
  And how much for all the consultants before and after.
  
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• 

  tam
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  Jan 21, 00:23
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  Grahame Blair, the council's director of service to people, said that
  
  single status was a national agreement to address legal requirements of equality between people doing jobs of equal value. All councils were required to implement single status and the process had been planned for some years.
  
  Mr Blair added, "While the council is currently working to present a balanced budget for 2010-11, financial provision for single status has already been planned and put in place.
  
  yes mr blair blah blah blah planned for years mucked up last year. adjusted to suit minipulated to fit the right faces. it is so clear what has been done. so many clear mistakes in the evaluation. and then they reward themselfs for the mess.
  
  i hear there is a restructure that will muck it up as well as the jobs will be different again. on top of that i wonder if any of those top hr folk will do nicely oot of this.
  
  have the decency to admit you got it wrong or admit what you are trying to do before you dont have a council and we join up with stirling
  
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• 

  Confused
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  Jan 21, 10:26
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  If this is not a cost cutting exercise, could someone please explain why the grades some staff have been awarded are significantly different from the grades they were to be awarded according to the outcome of the single status review back in April time 2009. Seems to me like it is an obvious cost cutting exercise.
  
  Cosla guidelines also state that if a manager/supervisor come out on the same grade as the staff they are managing that the process is fundamentally flawed and should be reviewed. This is obviously the case for many people - however, has the process been reviewed? NO!
  
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  bob
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  Jan 21, 23:43
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  this is about the elected members having the courage to stand up to the chief officers that have made these choices and say no this is not right. stop hiding behind your party political colours and stand up for once for your staff. just look back into history and see what happens when you stand by and allow people to just run over defenceless people. lets hope someone in the labour party has some morals. your council meeting is next thursday we will be watching who votes not only for single status but for the stupid re organisation put forward.
  
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• 

  red
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  Jan 22, 07:26
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  I agree this is either a sign of complete incompetance on behalf of the HR management teams or its a stich up by the elected members to get rid of staff in the droves before the next local elections.
  
  It is good that the MSP has now got involved and I hope him reading this will make him realise that we expect him to do something about this. If he fails we can always vote him out at the next elections too!!
  
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  OmG
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  Jan 22, 13:51
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  Sadly, the only way people can show their contempt for this sorry saga is at the ballot box. Like another contributor to this thread, I am no lover of Keith Brown, however in this matter there is an abundance of mileage in favour of the SNP, who, if elected, will hopefully rid this county of the corrosive influence certain officials are having on our great wee county!
  
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  Cheesed Off
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  Jan 22, 16:54
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  The next local government election is 2012. Just shorly before our 'protection' runs out. Those of us who live, work, spend our wages and have family and friends in Clackmannanshire won't forget what this 'Labour' council has done to it's lowest paid staff. Wait until the general election results in May. Gordon Banks can kiss his seat goodbye by a devastating margin and the local Labour party can feel the fear for their positions come 2012.
  
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  angry Bystander
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  Jan 23, 11:12
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  A couple of the posters here have it dead right. Councillors need to remember that a large number of their electorate live in and vote in Clackmannanshire. Ultimately, and being entirely cynical about them, we know what the major concern of many councillors is, and it isn't public service! It's to ensure they get elected come the next ballot. Staff/voters, along with other residents who fear a deterioration in service as formerly loyal staff get increasingly demotivated and look elsewhere for jobs, need to be contacting their councillors now. When the Leitch returns from her skiing holiday she needs to be told by the people who employ her that Clackmannanshire isn't just a stepping stone to her next job and she can't just walk all over it regardless of service and staff loyalty.
  
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• 

  angry Bystander
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  Jan 23, 15:40
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  A couple of the posters here have it dead right. Councillors need to remember that a large number of their electorate live in and vote in Clackmannanshire. Ultimately, and being entirely cynical about them, we know what the major concern of many councillors is, and it isn't public service! It's to ensure they get elected come the next ballot. Staff/voters, along with other residents who fear a deterioration in service as formerly loyal staff get increasingly demotivated and look elsewhere for jobs, need to be contacting their councillors now. When the Leitch returns from her skiing holiday she needs to be told by the people who employ her that Clackmannanshire isn't just a stepping stone to her next job and she can't just walk all over it regardless of service and staff loyalty.
  
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• 

  red
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  Jan 25, 06:22
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  See one of the COuncillors it at least doing something on Thursday -
  
  Motion to Council Meeting of January 28th 2010
  
  Council acknowledges the widespread concern and anxiety arising from the progression of the new pay and grading scheme. Council affirms its commitment to ensure that the negotiations and imposition of the pay and grading scheme will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner which respects the contribution that every member of staff makes towards the running of this organisation.
  
  Council confirms that every member of staff will be provided with adequate opportunity to undertake an informal review of their current job with their Line Manager prior to any pay or grading imposition and that these reviews and any subsequent appeals will be held in accordance with protocols previously agreed between the Council and the Trade Unions.
  
  Council also reaffirms the commitment made by the Chief Executive to minimise the financial loss to staff members through the provision of new opportunities and practical support/advice designed to develop individual job roles and enhance work related skills.
  
  Councillor Craig Holden
  
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• 

  OmG
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  Jan 25, 09:02
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  The last post says nothing that hasn't already been said before.
  
  Point 1) Transparency? Too late mate!
  
  Point 2) Reviews/protocols? Already been confirmed in the packs people were sent
  
  Point 3) Reaffirmation? No-doubt the Chief executive and Council leader will both wholeheartedly support this step ... what action they take is an entirely different matter!
  
  Here's the only solution, Get rid of the Council leader IMMEDIATELY.
  
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  Angry Bystander
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  Jan 25, 13:10
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  Good that Cllr Holden is raising this matter (at the full Council meeting in which one of the proposals is to break up Housing Services, and therefore damage the service to customers, without any consultation and without demonstrating why this will make things better, apart from on the CV of the Leitch, newly returned from her carefree skiing holiday). But I'm with OmG in querying what the motion actually achieves.
  
  Why are the grades where they are, when everything was different before the budget hole appeared?
  
  Where is the transparency in the process that got us here?
  
  Commitment to mitigate financial losses to staff? Where is the honesty about how many people are really losing out, including those people who supposedly stay the same and those people who are 'protected' for 3 years, but will not get increments and cost of living increases?
  
  And can staff really trust a process overseen by the Leitch when normal rules obviously do not apply to her, e.g. her report on restructuring says that an equalities impact assessment is not applicable! It is on everything else but not in something that affects all staff and thousands of clients!
  
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• 

  Cheesed Off
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  Jan 25, 16:52
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  Just as a response to OMG and Angry Bystander.
  
  Although the motion appears to be fairly toothless it's important for 2 reasons. Firstly, it doesn't force anyone to actually do anything and therefore it will be very difficult for anyone to vote against it. Secondly, and more importantly, it gives us a statement agreed and documented at council which a complaint can be raised against.
  
  for example, an 'adequate' opportunity to sign up for the informal review is not the 2-3 weeks sign up time the single status team gave us.
  
  Also the imposition of the grading scheme will take place in a fair and transparent manner. We have not had that commitment before. And there are many ways that this process can be proved to have been neither fair or transparent.
  
  It may not be everything we want this motion to be, but it's something.
  
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• 

  red
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  Jan 25, 18:45
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  Cheesed off
  
  Very glad about your comment especially the rumour is that Head of HR has started to bounce back appeals saying that if we re-grad people the council will not be able to afford. Will bring the light of this on to these poor management practicies by HR
  
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  Angry Bystander
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  Jan 25, 19:26
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  Unfortunately, the supposed legitimate appeals process has to lead to the kind of scenario referred to by Red. Bearing in mind some of the ridiculous gradings and comparisons the single status process has led to a completely objective appeals process would lead to complete and open ridicule of the whole process and difficulties in managing the budget. No one surely believes that if endless appeals lead to regradings the Leitch will let it pass! The process will go the way of equalities impact assessments - everyone else has to apply the rules, but when it comes to fai
  
  ess for all, the word goes out of her window.
  
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• 

  Red
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  Jan 25, 20:28
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  ANgry Bystander.
  
  I suppose the question is what can we all do about this situation. Three articles in the local press over 150 comments, a few questions from the local MSP but still nothing changes.
  
  Perhaps readers might want to suggest other ways we can get the council to change its approach for the good of its workforce and its customers the communities of Clackmannanshire (you and me in otherwords)
  
  Ideas are most welcome !!
  
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  Angry Bystander
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  Jan 25, 23:10
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  Ideally, Red, readers of these comments/voters will be expressing their concerns to councillors asap. Many elected members will be easily twisted around the Leitch's fingers, including the Leader, but one thing they all understand is the power of the vote! Hopefully they'll eventually realise, through this, that they have a CE who has no loyalty whatsoever to the Council and has no care for what she'll be leaving when she does leave (and she will leave within the next couple of years!)
  
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  Cheesed Off
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  Jan 25, 23:11
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  Red. It's entirely possible. The truth of the situation is that the council probably can't afford it as well as all the stupid stuff it wants to do. Reorganisation, rebranding, customer excellency awards, new one stop shops etc. Look at the council agenda for Thursday. It states that the saving from re-organisation is £400'000 salary savings from Heads of Service. There is no indication of cost to the council for all the work that will have to go into that reorganisation. lies, damn lies etc.
  
  Angry Bystander. In all honesty the informal review process has been used in other councils to address the problems created by a biased and flawed job evaluation. Clackmannanshire Council can do the same. Our line managers and service managers tell us they did not agree to our wage cuts and that they support us. Well talk is cheap. If a manager is willing to sit down with you and agree your evaluation was wrong and try to help you fix it then thats all we can ask of them. If HR come back and say both you and your line managers opinion of your job is wrong then in all honesty we have a serious cause for a greivance.
  
  So what can we do to help ourselves? Request information from HR. When they don't or can't respond you have grounds for complaint. If you do live in the area speak to your councillor/MP. Ask your family and friends to do the same. If they know the concern from those who elect them they will either listen or pay the price come polling day. It takes very little effort to send an email to an MP or councillor. Ask as many people as you can to post their comments here. You can bet your last pound (won't be long now) that this is being read by every local politician and senior officer in the council. And they know many of the staff and local politicians are reading it too.
  
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• 

  Cheesed Off
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  Jan 25, 23:13
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  Red. It's entirely possible. The truth of the situation is that the council probably can't afford it as well as all the stupid stuff it wants to do. Reorganisation, rebranding, customer excellency awards, new one stop shops etc. Look at the council agenda for Thursday. It states that the saving from re-organisation is £400'000 salary savings from Heads of Service. There is no indication of cost to the council for all the work that will have to go into that reorganisation. lies, damn lies etc.
  
  Angry Bystander. In all honesty the informal review process has been used in other councils to address the problems created by a biased and flawed job evaluation. Clackmannanshire Council can do the same. Our line managers and service managers tell us they did not agree to our wage cuts and that they support us. Well talk is cheap. If a manager is willing to sit down with you and agree your evaluation was wrong and try to help you fix it then thats all we can ask of them. If HR come back and say both you and your line managers opinion of your job is wrong then in all honesty we have a serious cause for a greivance.
  
  So what can we do to help ourselves? Request information from HR. When they don't or can't respond you have grounds for complaint. If you do live in the area speak to your councillor/MP. Ask your family and friends to do the same. If they know the concern from those who elect them they will either listen or pay the price come polling day. It takes very little effort to send an email to an MP or councillor. Ask as many people as you can to post their comments here. You can bet your last pound (won't be long now) that this is being read by every local politician and senior officer in the council. And they know many of the staff and local politicians are reading it too.
  
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  ******
  Jan 25, 23:50
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  PRD Broon-nose
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  Jan 25, 23:51
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  Come on now guys, despite going down a few thousand myself, as a Council employee i'm totally committed to make sure that things are continuously improving and can see that the implementation of this new pay structure really challenges the status quo. We all have to act to make things happen and be positive in the face of adversity.
  
  Those of you that complain about the new gradings are simply cynical about change and are probably the kind that does the minimum to get by. Perhaps these are the kind of employees that really promote a culture of presenteeism?
  
  Come,on guys - let's go that extra mile and give our wholeharted support, with full enthusiasm, for this new pay structure. Think of the positives - let's celebrate successes!
  
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  bob
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  Jan 26, 08:13
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  what
  
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  political observer
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  Jan 26, 15:37
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  i see the head of finance has now resigned from his post.
  
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  council worker
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  Jan 26, 18:24
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  I don't know how much PRD Brown-nose earns he must be a big earner if he can afford to lose a few grand but as i am going to lose £4,000 of my current salary of £15,500 the only extra mile i will be doing will be the road to the job-centre or join the ranks of the unemployed as i pay £25 a week on public transport(£100 per month)as i live outside the Alloa area(by 7 miles)sorry PRD Brown-nose if i don't see any positives
  
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  Angry Bystander
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  Jan 26, 18:56
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  I think Broon-nose was being ironic, council worker, at least I hope he/she was!
  
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  bob
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  Jan 26, 20:34
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  http://www.spso.org.uk/
  
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  spaceman bob
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  Jan 26, 23:15
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  Should be awn interesting coooncil meeting on Thursday. Especially when you see Ms Leitch has not done an Equalities Impact assessment and or notified the risks as per a report approved at council in Dec!
  
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  sst
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  Jan 27, 00:11
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  Dear Mr Brown. Thank you for at least having the guts to ask some questions. one thing i can say for certain you will not be told the truth by the ce and directors. why dont you ask the staff that are still trying to tidy up the mess. speak to the ss team as they know what happened and what they were forced to do by the leitch‘s consultant. it is time to show the tax payers who is boss and the incompetence of the leitch. she has a track record of this going back to her time in west lothian. she could not help but mess around with something she does not understand. what a reputation we are getting. no one will want to work at clacks for the money or the reputation it is getting. and that will result in poor service to us tax payers
  
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  Stephen Nisbet
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  Jan 27, 00:55
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  Re: political observer - I see the head of finance has now resigned from his post.
  
  Jumped or pushed?
  
  How much is this going to cost the Council Tax Payer? or if its due to "sickness" the Councils meagre Pension Fund?
  
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  OmG
  Unregistered User
  Jan 27, 09:18
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  Just learned that the Chief Exec wanted to re-brand Edinburgh Library staff from Library assistants to .... wait for it ........ "Audience Participation Officers".
  
  As Del would say .... What a 25 karat plonker!!!
  
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  political observer
  Unregistered User
  Jan 27, 12:14
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  yes, it would seem like rebranding is a favourite pastime - one which looks set to continue.
  
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  GAR
  Unregistered User
  Jan 27, 12:28
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  This is worrying. The staff at Clackmannanshire Council do an excellent job and it is very sad that they are treated this way. It is also quite strange that Keith Brown is getting involved while the Single Agreement Outcome came into force due to the Scottish Parliament directive. It's not that I am sticking up for the Labour Group at the council as like loads of the public within the area, I will not be voting for Labour. Everything is in such a mess.
  
  Like the Scottish Parliament, Westminister shouts for cut wages, cut wages, but everything else goes up. They appear to want to bring back the class system to the country. I actually wonder if any of the MP's and MSP's will cut back on their expenses or deny themselves a wage rise.
  
  Well, let's ask ourselves this question.
  
  Is the Pope a Catholic?
  
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  GAR
  Unregistered User
  Jan 27, 12:32
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  Sorry, my last comment was confusing at the end but what I actually meant was that they would be no way upon this earth that the MP's or MSP's in this country would support cutting their own wages nor expenses. We have seen this due to last years crusade. They are hypocrits and we (the people) let them off with it.
  
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  Angry Bystander
  Unregistered User
  Jan 27, 18:05
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  GAR - The single outcome agreement was through negotiations with the Government and CoSLA, so elected members were also endorsing the cutting of essential services so that they could fill budget holes, or pot holes!
  
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  mr disbelief
  Unregistered User
  Jan 27, 22:33
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  I have just come across all these comments. I live in Clacks and don't work for the Cooncil. I am amazed at all the whinging on here. You cooncil workers don't know you're born. Wake up and smell the coffee. I was laid off last month. I'd be grateful for a job even if my wages were cut.
  
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  mr disbelief
  Unregistered User
  Jan 27, 22:35
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  And another thing ... will my cooncil tax go down because your wages have? Thought the pay bill was going up?
  
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  mr disbelief
  Unregistered User
  Jan 27, 22:37
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  And another thing ... will my cooncil tax go down because your wages have? Thought the pay bill was going up?
  
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  Jimmy Neebur
  Unregistered User
  Jan 27, 23:10
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  Sorry tae hear ye lost yer job Mr Disbelief. Yer cooncil tax will indeed go down neebur as you will qualify for a reduction if yer claimin benefits. Good luck wae the job searchin. Mibbae you'll get one of the cooncil jobs that will be up fur grabs once the workies start jumpin ship. It might no be quite paid whit the job is worth in far aff places like Stirlin etc but it sounds like you're no bothered about how much ye get paid - probably jist the kind of guy the cooncil is after! Keep tabs own their website fur jobs own the go. Alternativuly, like me, ye could go self employed eh if ye kin turn a haund tae somethin.
  
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• 

  red
  Unregistered User
  Jan 28, 07:23
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  Mr disbelief
  
  Sadly your Council tax will not go down. Clackmannashire COuncil is 80% from central givernment and 20% through council tax and business rates. The 20% should cover the local things we want delivered here in Clacks that the Scottish Government is not interested in e.g economic development. Ironically the staff that will be getting a drop in pay will be paying less tax which will mean a drop in tax which pays for the council to do the things that the national government funds
  
  Also to answer your question about having a job. Staff have been asked if they would like to volunteer to be made rudundant, or take early retirement but nothing seems to have happened in that area. Also the COuncil has just got rid of all its senior management thus saving £40k. What you do not realise is this Single Status was supposed to be about bringing staff wages in line with each other. Preventing two staff doing the same job but being paid different wages.
  
  Hope you get a new job soon. Try the Council as there will be lots of vacant posts coming up after March 31st when Single Status kicks in !!
  
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• 

  Angry Bystander
  Unregistered User
  Jan 28, 16:50
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  I see our wonderfully intelligent councillors have accepted the Leitch's report on council restructuring, which was based upon no consultation and empirical evidence and which included a bunch of platitudes as to how the proposed restructure would be the best thing since sliced bread, but with nothing whatsoever to back it up. The report also contained the granting of responsibility to the Leitch to do whatever she wanted and, unlike every other report required to go the the Council, did not contain an equalities impact assessment, because it only affects every single staff member and thousands of customers! - obviously, as the report said, not required, therefore. Basically, with such a weak-willed, bend at the knees bunch of elected members I have no faith in anything they might suggest to reign in this woman's Stalinesque tendencies.
  
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  red
  Unregistered User
  Jan 29, 08:04
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  Yes it would appear that this has all been signed off by the Councillors and the CX. Its a shame our elected members have not done their job properly and ensured that there is a due process in place that is being followed by HR. I understand that some Managers have been told that their changes to staff scores and wages will not be excepted becuase the council can not afford it. If this is really about fair pay so everyone doing the same jobs get the same wages this is not the way to go about it.
  
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  Angry Bystander
  Unregistered User
  Jan 29, 09:46
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  Red - that would seem to endorse the scepticism arising from the fine words of Cllr Holden's motion. Clearly councillors are either too frightened of the Leitch or too thick to see the consequences of their decisions (I suspect a mix of the both!) which will be/is complete demotivation, a major deterioration of services and customers / the electorate considering how they use their vote when they see that the service they receive, thanks to their members, has gone down the tubes, whilst staff go off sick wih stress or seek jobs elsewhere. All good news then!
  
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  Angry Bystander
  Unregistered User
  Jan 29, 11:55
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  SNP voted against the Leitch's report, Cllr Holden abstained, for perfectly legitimate reasons, and Cadenhead, on being told to jump by the Leitch asked 'how high'. Clacks Council is obviously in safe hands!!!!
  
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  council worker
  Unregistered User
  Jan 29, 16:02
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  Saw a unison newsletter they took leeds council all the road when they used Single Status as an excuse to slash binmen and streetsweepers pay,there was a long strike but in the end the council gave in and the wages went back to what they were on beforernIts time all of us in the diffrent depts of clacks council who are losing money went on strikernWhat are the unions doing to help us ?
  
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• 

  ******
  Jan 30, 12:02
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• 

  Political Observer
  Unregistered User
  Jan 30, 18:41
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  Unfortunately the current administration is asleep at the wheel, while at the same time the council is the equivalent of one of those Toyota cars - hurtling towards disaster and can't slow down.
  
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  Angry Bystander
  Unregistered User
  Jan 30, 18:49
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  Absolutely, Political Observer! I don't expect an ounce of intelligence from the majority of the councillors, but I do expect an instinct for survival at the ballot box, but this seems to have gone the way of their intelligence and they just cannot see what is being done to the Council for the sake of a woman's CV and career outside of Clacks, once she has left the smoldering mess of her own creation
  
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  OmG
  Unregistered User
  Jan 31, 09:24
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  It will indeed be interesting when the Labour party start touting for our votes in the next few weeks, perhaps then we'll hear from the less than vocal Gordon Banks!! Mr Banks managed to attain recognition for the contribution the Bevan Boys made during WW2, yet he seems pretty anonymous when it comes to contemporary issues affecting HIS constituents!!! Shame on the man!
  
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  ******
  Jan 31, 10:05
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  ******
  Feb 1, 01:43
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• 

  jake
  Unregistered User
  Feb 1, 16:01
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  Moral is so low with in the Council just now.We need a change of Direction.I have never heard of a work force wanting to be rid of Labour. But thats how it is just now. We all can't wait for the numpties to come chapping. Bring it on.
  
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  Jimmy Lafferty
  Unregistered User
  Feb 3, 23:35
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  This Councils a joke, has been run by numptys for the last few years, cant wait to see what happens at the enxt local elections as the Lbour lot will be shown the door for thier part in the biggest daylight robbery ever. Morale of the work force is at an all time low but again they bear the brunt of Incompetent senior level management.Good by labour my membership cards in the post.
  
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  More Political Posturing
  Unregistered User
  Feb 4, 03:46
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  All very gallant Mr Brown, however....
  
  You kept your mouth firmly closed in 2006 at a time when your SNP colleagues moved to impose single-status contract on staff at neighbouring Falkirk Council. The first council in Scotland to impose pay and terms and conditions on their employees.
  
  You also kept your mouth firmly shut when your SNP colleagues, who control West Dunbartonshire Council, implemented their single status in 2009. Workers there saw their public holidays reduced and faced salary losses across the board. On top of that the employees were made to feel more worthless and meaningless by watching your SNP colleagues approve an £8,000 pay rise for the Council Directors just for simply changing their***les from Director to Executive Director!
  
  Pehaps when you've single-handedly rectified Clackmannashire's single status issues you'll publicly denounce those SNP colleagues in other Councils throughout the land who have forced single status onto their employees.
  
  If your shouting out against one Council for draconian single-status Mr Brown you should be shouting out at every Council in Scotland for doing so and not just those Councils which suits you politically to do so.
  
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• 

  UNISON
  Unregistered User
  Feb 4, 21:54
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  The Clackmannanshire UNISON branch has serious concerns over the council's management of the national Scottish Joint Council Job Evaluation Scheme.
  
  The Council has not carried out the Job Evaluation process in accordance with the scheme. After the Trade Union lodged a dispute on the Council failure to carry out the Job Overview stage of the process, we managed to achieve agreement that the Council would allow this stage to be retrospectively carried out under the***le of 'Informal Review'. Going into the process we are finding that the Council are refusing to supply the information that we feel is vital to allow the 'Informal Review' to be carried out correctly.
  
  The Trade Unions are still meeting with management to discuss how to take this stage forward for our members.
  
  Clackmannanshire UNISON is also seeking advice and guidance from our legal team at UNISON Scotland who spec*alise in equalities. We need advice on the legality of what the Council are imposing and the implications for our members.
  
  Prior to the imposition letters going out, the Trade Unions asked their members to reject the Councils proposals. We must thank all members who overwhelmingly rejected these proposals.
  
  Shop stewards(who are all voluntary)are working very hard, sometimes into the evening in our own time, to try to fix this mess that our employer has got us into.
  
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• 

  I A.M Raging
  Unregistered User
  Feb 5, 23:58
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  At the so called Council meeting last thursday which the unions were banned from attending, I have heard that it was not exactly Civilised. There was very heated tention shall we say bu****hink what upset the council thelmost was the invite requesed by an SNP councillor for an auditor from CoSLA to be brought in to makesure everything was above board. My My no wonder they got so upset!!
  
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  tellthepoliticians
  Unregistered User
  Feb 16, 14:54
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  Are Unison doing nothing about the cuts to conditions of service? We have heard nothing from them about these. They will come in in a few weeks time losing some of us thousands of pounds a year. Why are we messing about with who sai what's.
  
  Unison should not have agreed to allow managers to do the informal review missing out the crucial job overview stage. It is muchmuch harder to right a wrong than to prevent it...why haven't they raised a dispute...why..too close to management are we??
  
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  Ralph
  Unregistered User
  Feb 16, 18:50
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  Take it from me, the council is in one holy mess courtesy of cadenhead & cronies.
  
  Never in the field of (Clackmannanshire) human resources, was so much taken by so few against so many! (apologies to Winston for my plagiarism!)
  
  While rome burns, Angie et al are sitting comfortably on their mega salaries of over £100k a year, not to mention Janet cadenhead on her £30k a year, while the poor street orderlies and cleaners are thrown some scraps from the privileged.
  
  It looks like David Cameron could be odds-on to give Brown, Cadenhead & Balsillie a bloody nose come May!!!!
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

• 

  jake
  Unregistered User
  Feb 19, 21:31
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  The Unions are a joke in all this. I hear that some of there so called stewards didn't even bother to return the pink slips. It was after all the Unions that advised us to do so with ours. Have the unions dropped us in the brown steaming stuff ?
  
  Start a fund and bring the bin men out....Oh we can't do that as they are all agency workers.
  
  Bring out the lollypop people and jannies and maybe night watchmen.
  
  Put the CX on sick leave and sack the HR dpt.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

• 

  wee eln
  Unregistered User
  May 4, 22:27
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  Come on wee Keith Broon. I thought you were going to show you had info about the council single status fiasco. All talk wee Broon. 2000 council workers awaited your words. Go for it now what a great move that would be at election time. Come on Keith,help your constituants.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

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