Bob Piper has been a Labour Councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for nine years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
Ten years ago the local government employers and the trade unions struck a deal called the Single Status agreement. The aims of the agreement were, allegedly, to address the issue of pay discrimination in local government. From the employers' side this was an attempt to prevent employment tribunals that would have cost the local government employers billions of pounds in settlements to mostly low paid women workers who had traditionally been discriminated against in comparison to male workers in broadly similar positions. They paid male manual workers bonuses, they didn't pay female manual workers bonuses.
Shockingly, the agreement placed the burden of addressing this issue less on employers, and more on taking money off other workers (in many cases low paid themselves) to fund the agreement.
It was a disgraceful agreement for the trade unions to sign, and one which contained a 'zero cost' clause which left the employers rubbing their hands in glee. In fairness a lot of trade union branches, including my own at the time in Walsall, saw through this fiasco at the time and voted against the single status settlement, but sadly, the membership as a whole were duped by their union bureaucracies and the employers into thinking this was a good deal which would end pay discrimination, and they voted in favour of the agreement.
Despite having escaped by the skin of their teeth, Councils sat on their hands and did nothing to implement this agreement for the best part of ten years. They hoped it would just go away and over time pay structures would evolve and the problem would no longer exist... and they could forget about having to compensate those they had traditionally discriminated against. The unions, who knew the agreement in reality would upset their members who lost pay did the same... until ambulance chasing no-win no-fee solicitors decided to start banging cases in to tribunals. That is why councils up and down the country have started to panic.
That is why workers in local government throughout the country, many of whom are themselves low paid and female, are being asked to take pay cuts which can amount to thousands of pounds a year to pay for this shoddy compromise agreement to enable the employers to wriggle out of their responsibilities.
Interesting - this was on the Radio 4 News the other night.
Couple of questions (forgive me if they're naive, but I really don't know).
Do you think that people further up the food chain in local government are overpaid?
Would it be worth, in two-tier councils, scrapping the lower level?
Bob Piper said:
November 15, 2007 9:14 PM | permalink
On the first point Dave, generally, no. The reality is at director, ceo level good old fashioned market forces dominate and people have to pay a market rate. The tiers below that tend to be professionals, architects, lawyers etc and they aren't particularly well paid either which makes recruitment/retention difficult.
On the second point I don't have any experience of two-tiered local government but my instincts tell me that I would scrap the higher level.
Robert said:
November 19, 2007 12:27 PM | permalink
My union stated it was a move in the right direction, well they would, I cannot understand why Unions still think New Labour has anything to do with them except of course the donations at election time.
Bob Piper said:
November 19, 2007 2:39 PM | permalink
Robert, I cannot see what you think Labour have got to do with it. The deal was signed under a Conservative Government who gave no commitment to funding it..
as a refuse collector in w-ton under single status our bonus will be scrapped taking home less than 10 grand a year after these savage cuts.We will then work to rule leaving the streets to rot in filth if we have to.We are left with no choice.Nobody will listen or help us as everyone ignores the human cost to our families.Everybody hides behind the equal pay laws and treats refuse collectors like the scum of the earth.Roll on the next election
With reguard to the comment from the angry refuse collector i work with the elderly and if i was to make comments like he had people will be up in arms all the low paid workers want is a fair deal and the money that they are due to other workers have had bonuses paid for years and have never complained about getting them,and what are they getting them for? may i ask lower paid care workers have a harder job with more responsibility and still TEN years later are at the bottom of the food chain Something has to change for us and our families.
socialist said:
December 14, 2008 2:17 AM | permalink
Let us not lose focus here. The fault clearly lies with the local governments and bedfellows, the unions.The legislation has been in place since the 70's (Equal Pay Act 1970). Now councils are forced to act on it they are just taking from one employee to give to another. Bonus and incentives were set up by the councils. To suddenly take so much money from one to give to another to make up for their own short-comings is scandalous.
The unions have been useless. They have saved the councils thousands by dragging out the inevitable. When all along the councils just push through with there plans. The council which I work for has seen some female administration workers set to lose £9000. These workers have families,mortgages and bills to pay. Councils can't just slice an employees salary and expect them just to continue working. The end result will be bitter employees or a mass exodus. I agree with equal pay but not to the cost of others.The council set up bonus schemes etc. To cancel these and expect those workers, who rely on a bonus to top up there low wage, to carry on regardless is shocking.
The councils will bulldoze through the single status as they do with most things, with the unions by there side. I am canceling my union membership as when I asked for help and advice it fell on deaf ears. I hope those who set to lose the most in my council find a way to recover.
November 15, 2007 8:59 PM | permalink
Interesting - this was on the Radio 4 News the other night.
Couple of questions (forgive me if they're naive, but I really don't know).
Do you think that people further up the food chain in local government are overpaid?
Would it be worth, in two-tier councils, scrapping the lower level?