Sandwell Council managers in line for salary rise
Up to 10 senior officers at Sandwell Council will get a pay rise as part of the re-grading of their roles as the authority aims to avoid claims under equal pay law.
The roles of 10 service managers will be re-graded from August and will see them paid £69,812 the following year, after which they will receive pay increases of £2,000 per annum for five years.
Currently the existing maximum salary paid to service managers is £67,810.
The new pay band was agreed by cabinet members at a meeting this week.
Finance bosses say it is necessary to avoid claims under equal pay law following the restructure of senior posts at the council.
Referring to Birmingham City Council's equal pay woes, finance chief, Councillor Steve Eling, said action was required to avoid a similar situation in Sandwell.
Councillor Eling, said: "Through several reviews we have managed to reduce the number of people employed in senior management positions.
"But while we have parity of pay across managers at this level there is a disparity of work responsibility.
"That means equal pay legislation is now an issue.
"We have found in this particular tier of management, as a result of our re-structures, there is now a disparity.
"It must be addressed or we are vulnerable to challenges through equal pay.
"You have only got to look at the council next door to know we do not want to end up with an equal pay issue."
In recent years Sandwell Council has reduced the number of service manger posts from more than 90 to 39, with resulting year on year savings in excess of £3 million. All head of service posts were removed in 2011.
A council spokesperson said an external company had carried out 'evaluations' before the scheme was drawn-up.
UKIP Councillor Philip Garrett said news of the pay increase for service managers would not be well received by his ward constituents in Princes End who are being asked to pay more for council services.
"This does not sit comfortably," he said. "I can tell you that people in my ward, they will not like this.
"This is a time when they are having charges dropped on them by the council. If the bin goes missing you have to pay £10.
"Rents have gone up, only by a little, but they have gone up.
"People are paying more for their services and staff are being made redundant, yet these managers are getting this pay rise. It does not sit right."
