GMB slams Hammersmith & Fulham Council for staff pay freeze while services deteriorate

15.03.10

Freeze breaches pledge by George Osborne, Tory Shadow Chancellor, who said that the Tories would not freeze pay for those earning less than £18,000 per year

 

GMB members working for Hammersmith & Fulham Council have condemned the Tory administration for freezing pay of staff while delivering deteriorating services to residents of the borough.

 

GMB have identifies 3 areas where services have got worse. First during the worst winter for 30 years many elderly and vulnerable residents of the Borough were cut off from society and unable to leave their homes because the Council had not carried out gritting of side roads and residential areas. Second parents report that the standards of school meals have significantly dropped following the privatization of school meals. Third GMB has learned of a decrease in the numbers of elderly and vulnerable people who previously received meals on wheels. The reduction on the level of service impacts for two of the most vulnerable groups in the borough.

 

The local people who work for the Council and deliver the services to residents are having a pay freeze imposed on them for 2010. The vast majority of council workers are paid less than £18,000 a year. Conversely, significant pay rises for senior Council officers give the lie to the lack of funds for services or pay.

 

Keith Williams, GMB Regional Organiser said, “The local people who work for Hammersmith & Fulham Council and deliver the vital services that keep the Borough running for its residents are having a pay freeze imposed on them for 2010. The council is also delivering deteriorating services to residents.

 

Last year George Osborne, Tory Shadow Chancellor, said that the Tories would not freeze pay for those earning in this lower pay bracket. This is sheer hypocrisy. Women make up the biggest percentage of employees within local government and therefore the pay freeze seriously questions the Tories commitment to equality and equal pay for female workers.

 

Many council employees for no additional remuneration are also covering posts left vacant by wide spread redundancies or posts that have not been filled. However it was OK for the Leader of the Council to award himself a 14% increase less than 18 months ago to top up his salary to £50,000.”