Staff at Cheshire and Warrington Connexions told to take pay cut

Mar 10 2011 by David Holmes, Chester Chronicle

A UNION official is calling on council chief executive Steve Robinson to take a 5% pay cut if the same reduction is imposed on staff at the county’s youth service.

Unison official Ray McHale says the council-owned Connexions service wants workers to take a 5% cut as part of a restructure which will see the loss of 95 posts in West Cheshire.

He said: “What they very kindly intend to do, for people who keep their jobs, they have been told they have got to take a 5% pay cut – that was announced to staff last week as part of the consultation.

“We think they are going to try and impose that as they try to put people in the new structure. We don’t think this is something they can do. They have to consult on it separately. I assume this has come from the top of the local authority.”

If the pay cut is imposed then Mr McHale will call on Cheshire West and Chester Council chief executive Steve Robinson, who earns £180,000, and his senior management to take a 5% cut.

“I don’t do this lightly because some of them are our members,” added Mr McHale.

Last year communities secretary Eric Pickles called for council chief executives earning more than £150,000 to take a 5% pay cut. The Chronicle asked the council press office if Mr Robinson would accept the pay drop but is still awaiting a response.

Mr McHale has not been informed what the new Connexions service will look like, with an announcement due next week, but he fears for the future of youth clubs. The council and Connexions are making no comment.

Meanwhile, Unison is fighting plans to bring in ‘worse’ terms and conditions for the CWAC workforce and held a demonstration outside Chester library to protest at a proposed reduction in premium payments for weekend working. The authority says it is harmonising contracts across the four predecessor authorities.