Unions slam plan to use "workers pay" for compo claims (From Daily Echo)

Unions slam plan to use "workers pay" for compo claims

9:51am Wednesday 8th February 2012 in Politics By Matt Smith, Politics and business reporter

UNIONS have slammed a move by Tory council chiefs to use “workers’ pay” to meet the cost of compensation claims over controversial wage cuts.

Conservative council leaders plan to set aside £600,000 a year saved from a rejected offer to restore some of the pay cuts to bolster a fund to pay legal bills and compensation payments from employment tribunal claims brought by the unions and council workers.

Unison branch secretary Mike Tucker said: “It is outrageous that the council is proposing to make those it unlawfully dismissed and rehired on low pay meet any compensation payments.”

Unite regional organiser Ian Woodland added: “This is typical of this council leadership. Rather than resolving this industrial dispute they would rather spend our money and the money of all council service users fighting city council staff.”

Almost 1,000 unions members have launched claims for unfair dismissal after they were forced to take pay cuts of between two and 5.5 per cent last July or be dismissed.

Unions have also launched a legal claim, worth up to £12m, that the council failed to fully consult over the plan to dismiss workers who did not sign new contracts.