Edinburgh Council

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 11 Apr 2009, 13:06

admin: thread split from Cllr Mike Bridgeman thread

From today's EN:

Convener gets more cash to burn

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 11 Apr 2009, 13:53

Bob Jefferson wrote:From today's EN:

Convener gets more cash to burn

Its no just the elected members of CEC getting a payrise. Corporate staff got one aswell. Mind you its hardly worth it, 2.5% doesnt make a guge difference.

Sorry, to clarify, a large number of coporate staff at CEC were awarded the 2.5% pay rise. Not all corporate staff.

seashell · Post by **seashell** » 14 Apr 2009, 10:16

BeachBum wrote:
Bob Jefferson wrote:From today's EN:

Convener gets more cash to burn
Its no just the elected members of CEC getting a payrise. Corporate staff got one aswell. Mind you its hardly worth it, 2.5% doesnt make a guge difference.

Sorry, to clarify, a large number of coporate staff at CEC were awarded the 2.5% pay rise. Not all corporate staff.

There are loads of people who would welcome a 2.5% pay rise. And loads who would just like a job.

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 14 Apr 2009, 17:49

seashell wrote:
BeachBum wrote:
Bob Jefferson wrote:From today's EN:

Convener gets more cash to burn
Its no just the elected members of CEC getting a payrise. Corporate staff got one aswell. Mind you its hardly worth it, 2.5% doesnt make a guge difference.

Sorry, to clarify, a large number of coporate staff at CEC were awarded the 2.5% pay rise. Not all corporate staff.
There are loads of people who would welcome a 2.5% pay rise. And loads who would just like a job.

Im happy to give up my 2.5% but not willing to give up my job. Sorry!

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 14 Apr 2009, 17:57

Edinburgh Evening News, 14-4-09, City workers face pay freeze in £13 million black hole battle.

Puerto bella · Post by **Puerto bella** » 15 Apr 2009, 09:11

BeachBum wrote:
seashell wrote:
BeachBum wrote: Its no just the elected members of CEC getting a payrise. Corporate staff got one aswell. Mind you its hardly worth it, 2.5% doesnt make a guge difference.

Sorry, to clarify, a large number of coporate staff at CEC were awarded the 2.5% pay rise. Not all corporate staff.
There are loads of people who would welcome a 2.5% pay rise. And loads who would just like a job.
Im happy to give up my 2.5% but not willing to give up my job. Sorry!

Pay rise - what's that? Must be a public sector thing in this current economic climate where most folk on the outside are having large scale compulsory redundancies, reduced hours, contracts ripped up etc etc.

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 15 Apr 2009, 09:58

Puerto bella wrote: Pay rise - what's that? Must be a public sector thing in this current economic climate where most folk on the outside are having large scale compulsory redundancies, reduced hours, contracts ripped up etc etc.

It happens in the public sector too, which is not quite the financial paradise people on the 'outside' seem to think it is. If you have a low wage then a 2.5% increase isn't such a big deal . There were many who weren't keen on the salaries in the public sector, when things were booming in the private sector.

Didn't you move from the public sector to the private yourself PB? You must have thought the grass was greener on the other side then.

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 15 Apr 2009, 11:08

I agree Marya. I have never had a bonus in my life unlike a lot of my friends who work for private companies. I think maybe we got a Creme Egg once from the Headteacher

. Our contracts too are 'being ripped up'. We had to strike last year for a measly 0.5% increase in our even measlier pay offer - and this is all way before any recession. Budget cuts within schools are threatening jobs like mine. People seem to assume that if you work in education you are always a teacher with all the perks that entails - I'm happy to say there's a lot more to working in education than being a teacher so please don't lump us all together and assume that everyone gets paid holidays and large salaries.

It's probably the same in every other job within the Council.

However, never mind the workers - lets splash out on trams and a new roof for Waverley Station.

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 16 Apr 2009, 17:27

Marya wrote: If you have a low wage then a 2.5% increase isn't such a big deal .

Yup. My 2.5% increase (as negotiated last year) works out at less than £50 extra a week. Hardly a life changing amount of money.

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 16 Apr 2009, 17:27

Marya wrote: If you have a low wage then a 2.5% increase isn't such a big deal .

Yup. My 2.5% increase (as negotiated last year) works out at less than £50 extra a week. Hardly a life changing amount of money.

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 16 Apr 2009, 19:55

BeachBum wrote:
Marya wrote: If you have a low wage then a 2.5% increase isn't such a big deal .
Yup. My 2.5% increase (as negotiated last year) works out at less than £50 extra a week. Hardly a life changing amount of money.

Considerably less than an increase of just under £50 a week I'd have thought ( unless you think a salary of £100, 000 is a 'low wage'

).

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 16 Apr 2009, 20:19

Marya wrote:
BeachBum wrote:
Marya wrote: If you have a low wage then a 2.5% increase isn't such a big deal .
Yup. My 2.5% increase (as negotiated last year) works out at less than £50 extra a week. Hardly a life changing amount of money.
Considerably less than an increase of just under £50 a week I'd have thought ( unless you think a salary of £100, 000 is a 'low wage' ).

Yes, less than £50. So its somewhere between 1p and £49.99. My point being that a raise of less than £50 is of no celebration or likly to make any real impact on ones pocket in any kind of substantial manner.

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 16 Apr 2009, 20:30

I wonder if the 2.5% applied to bonus payments for council workers aswell? I get a bonus which is set each three months based on the three months prior. I wonder if that will rise by a pittance aswell.

Grunk · Post by **Grunk** » 17 Apr 2009, 11:25

If you don't want it you can give it to me, I would quite like an extra £50 a week.

The good thing about working in the public sector is the pension scheme.

And if you work for the council you only have to actually work for 1/3 of the time.

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 17 Apr 2009, 12:16

Grunk wrote:
The good thing about working in the public sector is the pension scheme.

You mean it is based on final salary? Yes, many private companies have done away with that benefit. There have also been disgraceful instances of companies legally plundering their pension schemes, resulting in the impoverishment of many hard working folk. Fortunately, public sector workers have been protected from that.
Remember, however, that it is not non-contributory and that many members will retire having earned a modest final salary. In my case, the scheme is also based on 1/80ths, so it is unlikely a graduate will build up maximum service.

And if you work for the council you only have to actually work for 1/3 of the time.

Suppose that depends on whether you operate a digger or not.

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 17 Apr 2009, 16:32

Grunk wrote:... I would quite like an extra £50 a week.

I too would quite like an extra £50 a week, but that is very unlikly!

seashell · Post by **seashell** » 18 Apr 2009, 20:25

[quote="BeachBum] Yup. My 2.5% increase (as negotiated last year) works out at less than £50 extra a week. Hardly a life changing amount of money.[/quote]

Excuse me?? £50 extra a week is not life-changing?

Maybe not to you, but it jolly well would be for people who have to count every penny and have to decide if they are going to eat or heat the house.

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 18 Apr 2009, 20:50

seashell wrote:
BeachBum wrote: Yup. My 2.5% increase (as negotiated last year) works out at less than £50 extra a week. Hardly a life changing amount of money.
Excuse me?? £50 extra a week is not life-changing?

Maybe not to you, but it jolly well would be for people who have to count every penny and have to decide if they are going to eat or heat the house.

Your correct, in my post I should have stated that £50, was not life changing in my circumstance. Thank you for once again pointing out the errors of my way.

I should be dragged to the High Street and promptly have the crap beaten out of me in full public view for being so stupid.

Whilst I dont think its a life changing amount of money for me, I do think it would be nice to get an extra £50 a week. That would cover my chippies in a week which would be marginally handy.

Puerto bella · Post by **Puerto bella** » 20 Apr 2009, 22:05

[quote="BeachBum"]

I should be dragged to the High Street and promptly have the crap beaten out of me in full public view for being so stupid.

quote]

Now, that's a bit excessive - the Prom would do.

or are you extracting the Michael?

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 22 Apr 2009, 16:35

Oh dear: Edinburgh Evening News, 22-4-09 - Council workers hit with string of driving fines for breaking rules

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 23 Apr 2009, 18:46

Councillor Dawe has sent out her leaders report for April.

Council staff will have got it straight to their inbox, but those who havnt seen it, it can be viewed here.

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 23 Apr 2009, 18:56

Well these is still the liklyhood of industrial action by CEC staff due to the imlimentation of the modernising pay scheme.

But, there may be furher industrial due to this.

Council to look at privatising local services.

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 30 Apr 2009, 18:26

Seems the Council are slightly concerned about this swine flu business.

Corporate staff got an email today asking them to report to their line manager straight away if they have been in contact with anyone who has been to mexico in the past couple of weeks.

In addition emergency planning & business continuity arrangments have been activated.