Double Pay Blow For Workers

Council bosses have been criticised for making a pay deduction during a month when staff were already struggling to make ends meet. Around 4000 workers previously paid weekly or fortnightly by Falkirk Council go on to monthly wages at the end of this month.

This leaves many having to make the money paid into the bank at the start of this week stretch until April 27 when their first monthly pay is due. Officials had offered an interest-free loan to be repaid over four months but many turned down the chance, preferring to try to make their money last.

However, they received a surprise when they opened their pay slip this week to discover that the money had finally been deducted for a one-day strike…held more than 15 weeks ago!

Council services were badly affected on December 18 when thousands of workers downed tools in support of industrial action over new pay and condition terms being introduced by the local authority that day.

The new contracts were the council’s response to implementing single status and equal pay. The introduction of the monthly pay for all staff was also a direct result of single status. But staff have criticised council chiefs for waiting so long to make the deduction in their pay.

One member of the housing and social work department said she was shocked to receive her pay slip. She said: “We always knew it had to come off, but what made them wait this long? All the information on who was on strike last December was forwarded to payroll within days. Surely they could have acted on it before now?

“I had made up my mind to manage on my last two weeks’ pay for the whole of April rather than take out a loan. But mine is the only salary going into the house, so I don’t know how I’m supposed to manage. If, come the end of the month, I’ve no money to buy petrol then I’ll just have to phone in sick.”

Apologising for the delay in docking wages, David Cunningham, the council’s head of payroll and pensions, said: “We regret that the strike deductions coincided with the final fortnightly payment for some employees, but it has not been possible to make the deduction sooner. Wherever possible, deductions need to be made in the correct financial year.”