Wage fear for council workers

THOUSANDS of Oldham Council staff risk having their wages cut when evaluation scores go in the post next month.

The job evaluation exercise has been carried out to harmonise pay scales among white and blue collar workers, and men and women, called single status.

Final scores will then form the basis of a new pay and grading structure likely to be revealed in the new year, after negotiation with trade unions.

Information is being sent to each employee about how the score was calculated and once the scores are revealed there will be time for appeals.

The long-running exercise has already led to offers totalling £8 million to 1,700 women council workers for equal pay compensation.

The evaluations showed they were paid less than men on the same grade, due to a bonus scheme not available to women.

Now the job grading scores everyone’s role, and could produce some winners but also losers next year.

In Bury earlier this year almost 1,200 council staff were told their gradings meant a pay cut, some of up to £7,500 a year.

And last week Huddersfield Council’s employees threatened industrial action over their single status, after some faced wage cuts of 17 per cent.