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Council bosses prepared to talk to unions after 150,000 staff strike

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Published Date: 20 August 2008
COUNCIL bosses insisted they were still prepared to talk to unions after an estimated 150,000 local government workers today staged a one-day walkout over pay.
The walkout left schools closed in many areas, rubbish uncollected, ferry services disrupted, and other council facilities hit across the country.

Union leaders said 150,000 workers took part in the one-day strike over a pay offer of 2.5% for each
of the next three years.

The offer, say unions, has been made "derisory" by the rising cost of living.

Michael Cook, spokesman for the local authority employers' group Cosla tonight said talks were essential.

"The only way to resolve this is by negotiation and once again I would urge the unions to meet us and to jointly reach a solution to the difficult situation that we all find ourselves in," he said.

But one union leader warned that the council employers had to come up with firm proposals.

Matt Smith, Scottish secretary of Unison, the main union involved, said some senior local authority figures appeared to have been "impressed" by backing for the strike and arguments about inflation.

"But they need to come back to the unions with clear proposals to address the impact of rising prices on our members," he said.

"If there is no movement, then we will have to look to further action in the future."

• Have you been affected by the strike? Send your reaction to enquiries@scotsman.com



Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 20 August 2008 5:41 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Soup kitchen,

20/08/2008 18:31:53
My favourite comment was the Unison boss saying that "not one penny in efficiency savings had been paid to their members".

Do we not pay these thugs to be efficient? Is that not an inherent part of any job and as such remunerated through salary? What a laugh.

Public sector workers median salary is higher than that in the private sector. Based on skills, education and experience, most public sector workers couldn't get their salary in the private sector.

So the thugs are going to sabotage our services as retrobution and punishment for the tax-payer asking that their hard-earned money goes on services and not on early retirement/luxury holidays for the lazy desk jockey.

I have sympathy for the bin-men/sewer workers. That is the only service I get for my tax. They deserve more cash, but the other useless plebs? Forget it.
2

henrymanchester,

UK 20/08/2008 18:50:54
Make sure you all remember to make your kids watch the BBC tonight.

They have to get their usual dose of brainwashing or else it's start to wear off.

God knows where we'll end up if the little maggots actually start thinking for themselves...
3

jim b,

20/08/2008 19:25:12
maggots,not very nice henry.underpaid undervaulued,and had enough.
4

Geordiejambo,

Whitley Bay 20/08/2008 19:52:56
Yes, Soup kitchen, my wife "the thug", a Home Help, earns just over the National Minimumn Wage and is always jetting off on " luxury holidays " . She could transfer to the Private Sector and be paid even less of course but I am not sure that would be a great career move. A " useless pleb " ? Not according to the old folk who rely on her and the army of underpaid carers doing a great job for the likes of you. And you only use the sewers and bin collections as services. Guess you never went to school ( figures ) or travel on the highway or eat in restaurants inspected by Environmental Health or anticipate needing a Home Help or Residential Care in your dotage ( but it sounds like you are there already ) or fancy a trip to the swimming pool or community centre or a book from the library.Hope it all comes true for you.You deserve it.
5

Palermo,

20/08/2008 19:58:00
Yes, I think your average Joe would be surprised at the talent in the public sector, not to mention voluntary/community sector.

Lot of good people in there, who make a living mockery of the yawning stereotype so frequently peddled by those who (by their own perception) only equate public sector with bins and sewers.

The trick is that, with most of the public sector services, rather like the unsung midfield heroes in football, you only really notice them / appreciate the job they do when they are gone.


6

Conan the Librarian™,

20/08/2008 20:00:02
1
Soupy

You are a prickle.

Without the french for "the"

Amazing what you have to do to to insult people on the Hootsmon these days.
7

McMillar,

Fife 20/08/2008 20:09:55
#1 Soup Kitchen is not entirely wrong in his description. It’s fair to say when I heard there was a strike on my 1st thought was what a bunch of wasters the service will probably improve without them. However…happy to admit that there are some excellent people out there doing a great job. The issue seems to be that we do pay a huge whack in taxes / charges for usually a cr4p level of service. Government roles are still seen as just a bit cushy and you can then go off sick for ages before taking a nice package to leave. They do need to modernise (without being overrun by consultants) and improve service 100%. I know it has been covered a million times already but why are we wasting all this money building a tram system for Edinburgh?? It’s a small city and with some flexible working hours and more home working in certain areas the pressure could easily be eased off. Was there last week and it’s just a joke these days.
8

Geordiejambo,

Whitley Bay 20/08/2008 20:20:30
Sorry McMillar but you are missing the point entirely. You are talking about value for money of Council Services which I am sure every Council worker agrees with. But what we are talking about today is the rate of pay for Coucil EMPLOYEES which is scandalous. Do we expect to improve services by paying even less to the already poorly paid staff ? Is that how we motivate folk ? Should Public Service staff expect to be paid less just because they work in the Public Sector. Think about it. When I need a Home Help I want her/him to be well paid, well trained and well motivated. How about you ?
9

McMillar,

Fife 20/08/2008 20:58:13
Think I’ll dust my cv off and get into the public sector…..sounds great. Of course I would want a great level of service! Not likely with typical council workers mind you as they perhaps don’t show the same dedication as your wife. A strike is not exactly the best way to get public support. Nice say off in August, shame about the weather. No problem with pay rises providing they are closely linked to improved services and reduced numbers. I’m sure it’s more an issue at the top levels and that’s where the focus should be on reductions. As a consumer of several council services I’d say there is a long way to go and they usually deserve the branding that goes with #1.
10

Conan the Librarian™,

20/08/2008 21:06:16
9
McMillar

A "day off" for many people on the wonderful council payscales (lower level) will mean bills not paid, or at best no luxuries this month.

Are you a "typical" private sector worker?

How often do you stay late, unpaid, so the boss might notice you eh?

Had many bonuses this year?

Is your company car getting old?
11

McMillar,

Fife 20/08/2008 21:24:51
I think you have been watching the ‘office’ a bit too much. No problem with pay rises but need something to go with it….and as for striking! Your other points are all a bit out of touch with reality. It’s 24x7 these days and Blackberries for all. In fact I enjoy it so much I’m heading off back to work now. Council departments probably can change but it will be a while before the mentality moves out too. If only we had a choice.
12

Conan the Librarian™,

20/08/2008 21:35:49
11
Er...McMillar...stereotypes were the point...

:-)
13

McMillar,

Fife 20/08/2008 21:41:17
Sure....just like 'working' for the council, boom boom.
14

DAVIESFOZZIE,

CAERPHILLY 20/08/2008 21:54:02
Withdrawing your labour is the only course left to many under paid over worked and bullied workers. The employers have had the upper hand and no come backs on any action that they take against enmployees refusing to work unpaid overtime or no being paid for working un-sociable hours. Its about time the unions earned their money and take on the government and employers and organised a national strike
15

GM,

20/08/2008 22:03:58
I have worked in both local government and private industry.

FACTS -

Stereotypes exist for a reason.

For every decent hard-working local authority worker, there's another lazy lowlife working hard at doing nothing with on eye on the clock/pension all day long.

This is the problem.

In private industry, the workshy are quickly rooted out. In Local government its impossible to do this so the ratio of workshy increases as the years go on.

If the LA could sack just a few of the worst offenders then a clear message goes out to the rest that working for a living is a requirement, not an option.

Productivity, efficiency etc all increase.


You wouldn't believe th enumber of lazy/inept/skiving people I have witnessed in local government.

In private industry I've yet to meet one who lasted more than 6 months.
16

frank mcbride,

lusitania 20/08/2008 22:10:53
# McMillar.

You wouldn't work for a LA, even if you were paid twice your salary. LA workers are treated like excrement.

The Directorate in most LAs are placemen, who, generally have little, or no, competence in their situation. They are, generally, failed persons in their chosen field of work, but they are good political aparatchiks.

Poor leadership leads to poor outcomes. Unfortunately that is the story with LA services and, may I say, with TUs.
17

frank mcbride,

lusitania 20/08/2008 22:15:42
#GM.

You,obviously, saw the problem with LA services, but were clearly unable to apportion blame appropriately.
18

Jock Tamson,

Scotland, Caledonia, Alba 20/08/2008 22:25:26
Just think. When the recession starts to bite, the only people in jobs will be public sector workers.

2.5% looks good compared to no job.
19

Jock Tamson,

Scotland, Caledonia, Alba 20/08/2008 22:32:16
Take £100 off my council tax bill and I'll take my rubbish to the tip myself. Then I can get that ridiculous wheely bin off my front doorstep.
20

Jock Tamson,

Scotland, Caledonia, Alba 20/08/2008 22:36:10
And Falkirk coucil, can you not clean up your grass clippings instead of turning footpaths into dangerous slides?
21

GM,

20/08/2008 22:38:16
@17

I think Frank, in fact, I know what happened...

I left LA work as I simply grew tired of working hard whilst others surfed the net or talked about the weather in between half hour morning break, 2 hour lunch and half hour afternoon break. The additional pressure on me and other hard working staff was a disgrace.

I was lucky. I got out and have made a success in private industry - many former LA colleagues equally could do this as they are prepared to work hard. However, as stated, the workshy plonkers taint the whole place and its **impossible** to sack them.

Believe me, this is based on real bitter experience.

It is trully shameful that such a stereotype exists of LA workers, but it does and it is grounded in fact.
The worst part is that those people who graft hard and care, get tarred with the same brush.


Honestly, you could double output where I previously worked by sacking half the staff (the right half!!).
22

Andrew BOD,

Aberdeen/shire 20/08/2008 23:05:24
GM

Much of this is anecdotal, but I have similar experiences.

I've worked in the private sector all my life. Fairly low paid, overtime for nout, no union, private pension, gradual erosion of any perks, and hard work. Yes, and people get found out and disciplined for laziness.

I can't speak for the public sector, except for a colleague of mine who moved there after 20 years in a private company. She took an office job on £2.50 per hour more. She was told to "ease off" as she was working too hard and embarrassing her colleagues. Afternoons were generally for internet browsing, and Friday was "wind down" day.

That's just one example, but clearly there were efficiency savings to be had that were certainly not materialising.

Incidentally, that was (£50,000,000 in debt) Aberdeen Council.
23

Resolutions,

20/08/2008 23:08:58
Regardless of whether these folk give value for money or not, they are all paid by the Local Authority who get their money from taxes ie OUR MONEY.

Do we not need to know how that money is spent? That it is in fact spent on providing the services we need and expect and not on too many glorified pen-pushers and thinkers up off schemes which do not work?

Seems to be plenty of cash for fancy schemes and enormous expenses and essential staff are 'short-changed'.
24

GM,

20/08/2008 23:14:43
@22

Unfortunately, as you can always see on threads related to pay in local authority, a lot of people are in *complete denial* that any kind of problem exists.

Until such time as -

A - hard workers or exceptional performance can be rewarded inependently (at the moment its equal pay for all on the same grade no matter what or how you perform)

and

B - the workshy lazyarses can be fired


Then nothing will change.



Reward the very best and pay a decent salary for the many folks who care and do what is expected of them well.

Sack the skivers.

As a business policy, it works well everywhere else so why not local authority?
25

GM,

20/08/2008 23:26:24
@23

Ask *anybody* who works or has worked in local government about those employees in the 'non-jobs'...

i.e. those who make no *direct* contribution to the betterment and running of the local authority area.

You know,
'communications managers'
'training and development' workers
'policy co-ordinators'
etc
etc
etc

These are the kinds of employees who contribute sod all directly to the local authority area, and usually *get in the way* of those who do...

The classic example would be where a new 'policy' is dreamed up of monitoring performance of a department or team.
Invariably, what happens is that so much time is spent trying to adhere to 'The policy' in terms of paperwork, monitoring, reporting, etc. that the actual performance falls away and the service gets worse!
26

Soup kitchen,

20/08/2008 23:32:07
25 GM

Aye lad. You dinnae fatten the pig by weighing it.

What do local authorities actually do? They are starting to sell mortgages again I see. Will they sell to the responsible? Nope. Will they sell to their cousins, brothers-in-law, yup?

Public sector workers are similair to the mafia. They know how to rob their communities blind without bankrupting them completly, like a really good parasite. They don't wuite kill the host, but really do some damage with their round the clock feeding.
27

A Better Way,

Scottish Republic 21/08/2008 01:20:59
The problem isnt just a pay rate increase. Its more about Scottish Workers getting shafted by Gordon Brown and Alistair Darlings failure to reduce the taxes of the lower paid workers. The London Controlled New Labour Party put on a show about the 10p tax rise but at the end of the day millions of low paid workers are still paying the extra tax. The consequence of that tax rise equates to about 37 quid a week for people who want to work rather than sitting on the scrap heap. These are the real heroes that dont get any credit for doing the right thing and doing their best with little government support.

We in Scotland are very lucky in that within the next few years we will have the opportunity to correct the ills of the Westminster System when we are Independant of Westminster.There will be no expenditure for WMD, a massive Civil Service, Wars overseas or a political system that spends our money like water.

Every few years there is a change of Government in the UK as a whole. The Tories cut everything that isnt nailed down and the people suffer their crude experiments. Then New Labour gets in and spends the whole lot on huge programmes that accomplish very little except send billions down the drain, until we get where we are now. A near bankrupt country, with massive debt left to be paid by us.

Local Councils and Scottish Government now have inherited debts of some 22.7 billion pounds worth of debt thanks to PFI and PPP, thanks to Scottish and English New Labour. Our kids will still be paying these debts for the next thirty years, unless we leave a burnt out political system that is terminally ill.

Its Time for the Scottish Way. Its Time for Scotland to take charge of its own future, and to do things our way.
28

Allan(handofgod137),

21/08/2008 10:04:23
#27, You've hit the nail on the head!
29

Allan(handofgod137),

21/08/2008 10:05:10
Sorry should be #25
30

Jacqueline Hyde ,

On the shelf 21/08/2008 10:41:06
There are two effects of these strikes:

a) the council tax payer is denied services that he/she has paid for, and

b) the councils don't have to pay the striking staff for a day - although the fat-cat council managers continue to receive their ludicrous pay packets.

Guess who the only winners are.

31

Donaldtramp,

Aberdeen 21/08/2008 18:29:40
A wage RISE? Are you having a laugh? A CULL is what is required.

With 24% of the working population of Scotland employed in the public sector, there seems room for a cull to around 20% at least which would mean in real terms around 97,500 workers. And in fact that's the number increased since Labour took power.

So let's figure out how come this shockingly poor productivity came about? Brown's obsession with central and state control means he wants everyone and his granny beholden to the Labour party for employment and loads of non-job creation. This has been stifling private sector expansion with massive extra tax. Gordon does nothing but seek further means of increasing "his" fiscal revenues.

Non-job creation and state control is increasing MY tax burden massively. It has to stop. It is throttling the private sector and real wealth creation for our nation. I know 3 folk personally who will not leave Council employment because it is too easy! Why would I take a risk they say.
It absolutely sickens me.
Another example of failing public sector is this ludicrous tax credit scheme where you can claim tax credits up to earning about 60K a year. How many layers of jobsworth bureaucratic public sector employees has this created? How ridiculous is this? 60K a year and government handouts? All so Broon can have control.
Absolutely no sympathy for the Council. Get back to work (if you can call it work, what you do all day).
Get Brown out before he destroys this country.
A CULL of public sector jobs is required NOT wage increases!

 

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