Council Staff To Tighten Belts

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New terms and conditions will see allowances, increments and mileage cut

Staff working for Ealing Council will not get as much money as they once used to.

Council employees have not had annual pay rises since 2008 and now they face even more cuts to their salaries.

Ealing Council has concluded a renegotiation of the terms and conditions of employment of its 3,000 employees - the savings are expected to save £1million.

The main elements of the new conditions are:

• A local pay supplement of £141 per year will no longer be paid to staff on grade 4 and above. This will be reviewed in April 2015. Staff on the lowest grades 1 to three will still be paid a local supplement of £282 per year.
• Pay protection arrangements where employees move to lower graded posts will be changed.
• Payment of annual increments (increases in pay within the grade for a post) will cease until April 2015 for all employees in posts on grade 8 and above.
• Where overtime is paid, the rate will generally be at ordinary pay rate for the post.
• mileage rates for the use of employees vehicles on council business will be reduced.

Councillor Julian Bell, leader of the council said; "With £85 million of budget reductions having to be achieved it was necessary to find savings in the council's pay bill.

"Our people are crucial to us continuing to provide good services in these times of austerity so we have worked hard to be fair and minimise the impact on our lowest paid staff.

"I am sure that residents of the borough facing real financial difficulties will acknowledge this was the right thing to do."

The council and its recognised trades unions, Unison and GMB, signed an agreement on 26 March and the changes will come into effect on 1 April.

 

26th March 2013