Union slams rises
THE increases have been strongly criticised by the county branch of the public services union Unison.
A statement issued this week said they came at a time when the vast majority of county council employees had been offered '“ and rejected '“ a two per cent pay rise, and also against a background of more than 200 job cuts last year and the potential for further cuts in the coming year.
'We have seen no evidence of problems in recruiting to senior jobs, or with retention, and consider that the comparisons with other authorities are selective in nature '“ for example, there is no linking to size of authority,' it added.
Staff felt demoralised and anxious about their futures, and seeing very senior managers being given extra rewards for cutting jobs was something that would only serve to exacerbate the situation.