Bath and North East Somerset Council maintains that its proposed pay restructuring, which may reduce salaries for some staff, is ultimately about fairness—even though trade unions remain skeptical.
The council’s employment committee is scheduled to vote on May 14 regarding a new pay structure. The plan would lower salaries for certain IT workers immediately, while proposed pay cuts for employees in passenger transport and waste and recycling departments will be addressed separately within the next three months.
According to a recent statement, 62% of the council’s 3,500 employees will see their pay increase. However, 106 individuals subject to pay reductions will receive three years of pay protection. The council emphasized that by the end of this period, it is possible no one will experience an overall pay decrease.
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Chief Executive Will Godfrey said, “Our staff deliver vital services, and these proposals are fundamentally about fairness. Since August 2024, we have extensively consulted and negotiated with trade unions.”
Godfrey added, “About three percent of our staff will have their pay protected for three years. For now, there are no changes for drivers, loaders, recycling advisors, and passenger transport staff. We will continue working with employees and unions to implement proposals fairly.”
However, Amy Rushton, branch chair for the trade union Unison representing council workers, criticized the plan. She said, “It’s astonishing the council claims this is about fairness when they’re downgrading some of the lowest-paid workers. Even with pay protection, these workers are unequivocally worse off.”
The current pay structure changes affect 106 staff, but an additional 245 workers in passenger transport and waste and recycling could face pay cuts when those proposals are adopted in the coming months.
Rushton warned, “Up to 351 workers—one in ten of the council’s employees—are at risk of downgrades. Many have devoted years of dedicated service. We cannot accept this.”
She added the council’s extended consultation on 245 roles is unlikely to resolve the issue satisfactorily. “Unless these workers are downgraded, the council risks an unequal pay claim.”
The union advocates that those transferred in-house from adult social care should be placed on pay grades equal to current drivers and waste staff. Rushton emphasized, “Gender pay parity isn’t achieved by paying men less; it’s achieved by paying women more.”
Councils often face equal pay claims when men earn more than women for comparable roles. The council recently brought some adult social care contracts in-house, transferring a predominantly female, low-paid workforce.
Unison activist and social worker Toni Mayo said, “As a woman and social worker, I don’t want equal pay addressed by reducing men’s pay. We want women paid fairly.”
The council also highlighted that factoring in the national pay award, some of its lowest-paid staff will see increases exceeding six percent.