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Council staff in strike threat
Thursday 13th November 2008, 11:43AM GMT.
Workers at a Staffordshire council are threatening to go on strike if they do not get extra holiday time.
Unison is asking Cannock Chase Council to give staff an extra day off this year after councillors threw out the idea at a meeting last month.
The union responded by issuing a vote of no confidence in the council leadership and its senior officers and said industrial action was on the cards.
The row is centred on a decision by councillors to reduce the redundancy scheme at the authority and give workers a better car mileage rate but they rejected extra leave for staff.
Unison claim the holiday time, which would increase next year, was part of a package deal and should have been accepted along with the other changes.
A second union, UCATT, has said it could be prepared to join Unison in any strike action meaning more than half the council’s workforce, over 300 staff, could take action. Council leader Neil Stanley said the council could not justify the costs in light of the authority’s financial position.
“Could we afford to give staff more leave without making cuts in services to pay for it? The majority of councillors couldn’t justify that and were not prepared to do it,” he said.
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This is NOT about an EXTRA day – four days were taken from the employees
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not sure of the in’s and outs but all i can say they should be happy they have got a job.. unlike alont of people losing there jobs in the area.
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Well said GSS – any additional cost (which is dubious – in most cases existing staff cover any holidays ) will be offset from the CONSIDERABLE savings generated from the Employees acceptance of a less favourable redundancy package. This will also help REDUCE the need for additional cuts to Services and help REDUCE the number of any future redundancies required to balance the Budget.
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I agree entirely with KK Im glad they have got a job.. there are plenty of people in this Region at the moment with an uncertain future!!!!
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yes we all have our jobs – still at this moment – to which i am lucky, but first we had Job Evaluation which cut our pay then the Cllrs opt to cut our holiday leave then redundancy is very likely in the new year
forgive me for not feeling happy !
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I can only reiterate comments from GSS-this is leave we are losing-why should we accept this?. And to pick up on comments from kk and Tim-whilst we may be glad to have a job-we all work hard for the diminishing benefits we seem to be getting and furthermore there are a number of CCDC employees who are also currently VERY concerned for their jobs.
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point is we are all in the same boat but we dont have the opition to be able to strike to get our own way. we are all upset my husband could lose his job BFORE christmas and we have two kids and i cant work now because i have had a stroke!
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Can I just point out that if everyone went on strike where woyuld it get us??? Nowhere.. Ok your making your point but I also havent the option to strike to get my or my colleaguges own way……..One thing I would like to know is how much Holiday cannock chase council staff already get but im sure no-one would answer that!!!!!
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Has anyone stopped to think why the budget at the Council is so bad, was it that the council tax was set too low last year when there were elections ? or was it because it relied on the sale of the stadium. I wonder what level the tax will be set at 5% perhaps as there are no elections
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Lets get this straight the Council were presented with a PACKAGE to consider this included car milage, redundances and LOST holidays, this was cherry picked by the Cllrs. Job Evaluation sailed through with staff LOOSING 4 days holiday they already had, with a review in 2008. Cllr.s reviewed it and Staff lost holiday simple.
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I believe the staff lost existing holidays, some losing up to 9 days. The staff have only asked to keep what they already have. There are no extras, only loosers. The staff are also facing job cuts to pay for the c.tax being set so low last year, I can only agree with MOG we will see a 5% increase in our C.tax, will cllr stanley comment i wonder?
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Wouldn’t it be a better idea if a robust meeting was held between all parties, and a compromise reached? Strikes achieve little, staff lose a days pay and in the current economic climate little empathy will be achieved.
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kk: How many council employees do you think will be told before Christmas their jobs are under threat?
Tim: How many days annual leave do you think a council employee gets?
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GSS none because you lot will strike!! we are all in the same boat but we dont go running to the papers crying about it and making empty threats about going on strike just to bully people in to getting your own way..
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GSS I dont know thats why Im asking the question??? and the question youve asked KK how can anyone one answer that no-one knows in any company if there job is safe!!
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Bloody Scandalous !
They agreed to a package then decided to try and renage after they had the good bits.
Sack the lot of ‘em and see how many folks would apply for a job with just the normal amount of holidays !!
Why do we as taxpayers have to put up with this “Sod you Jack, I’m alright” attitude?
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The idea that we should all doff our caps and be grateful we have a job is ridiculous and shows a lack of backbone. Yes, times are hard, but that does not mean that people should not resist attempts to erode their conditions.
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If all of you private sector workers have it so bad, how come none of you apply for Council jobs on offer??? I’ll tell you why, because they are paid less and have significantly less holiday. And if Councillors carry on de-motivating staff like this there won’t be anyone left to look after vulnerable people, collect bins, etc. Get a grip. BTW – if you want to have a go at anyone, try having a go at the leaders and Councillors who vote themselves massive pay rises every year.
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20 days is the basic leave, the higher up the pay scale/mangers etc, the more holidays you get – the same as anywhere else – lots isnt it – not !
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The articles printed by Express and Star have been very misleading and incaccurate of why the employees are considering strike action. It is not just about losing the holidays, although that is important in itself especially to low paid workers like myself and cannot afford more childcare costs created by loosing what holiday I already had, but it is about how we have been treated by the management and the councillors with total disregard over the negotiations with the union, whilst we have to watch all them having more and expecting the frontline staff to accept less, this will not make for a productive workforce. We are all suffering in the current economic climate but if we let the council erode what we already have now(not extra as implied by the Express and Star), it wont be long before more of our pay and conditions are taken away and we will return to the type of workplaces from the dark ages before unions were introduced. Cuts happen every year within the council and no job is ‘safe’, however, a happy workforce is a more productive one and I would advise the council to bear that in mind. Is Councillor Stanley willing to go back to being paid expenses only instead of a salary,also paid by the taxpayer, in order to help the council cut costs ‘in the present economic climate’ as he is asking the employees to do? Somehow, I doubt it!
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