Council workers left furious by sweeping pay cuts
Staff at Northamptonshire County Council have reacted angrily to news of how much their wages will go down following a review of pay rates across the authority.
The Chron revealed yesterday that more than 4,000 council staff will lose cash from April 1, 2011 as part of a review designed to make pay rates across the authority fairer.
But those who will lose money have claimed it will hit the lowest paid hardest.
Steve Bennett, the secretary of the Northamptonshire branch of Unison and a day centre worker, said he will lose 4,000.
He added: "I'm losing a lot of my salary and there's a lot of people in the same situation.
"We've got many members who are stretched to the maximum with their mortgages and they don't know what they're going to do.
"We weren't expecting things to be as bad as they are, especially for the lowest-paid workers; we thought their wages would go up.
"So a lot of people are very upset and very desperate."
The review looked at 14,780 council workers' jobs, with 28 per cent due to lose cash while 44 per cent will see an increase in their wages. The rest will see no change.
One woman who has worked for the council for 14 years, told the Chron: "My salary will be reduced by 1,500, that's a reduction of more than 10 per cent. I feel like I've been mugged."
Another added: "I've just been told I'm going to lose 6,500. I'm totally shocked. I don't know what I'll do."
But the leader of the authority, Councillor Jim Harker (Con, Kettering Rural) said the deal struck the right balance between 'fair and equal pay and the financial realities'.
He said: "Our staff out in Northamptonshire's communities delivering vital services are a great asset to this organisation.
"This deal makes sure all of them are on the same pay structure while also ensuring the very best value for taxpayers."
The changes affect workers at the council's lowest pay rate of 12,145 up to those on 45,990.
Senior managers were excluded from the review, as were teachers, firefighters and further education tutors.
But some who will receive raises are also angry. One library worker who will receive a 24 per cent pay rise told the Chron he would not accept the cash.
He said: "I'm going to refuse it because some of my colleagues are getting a 10 per cent cut. I think they've got something wrong somewhere. It's ridiculous."
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