Pay cut for 400 Kirklees Council staff this month

Jun 10 2010 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HUNDREDS of workers will lose money following controversial changes.

Kirklees Council announced yesterday that 400 employees are on reduced salaries from this month as part of the Single Status process.

Councils across the country have been forced to alter the terms and conditions of employment to equalise pay between men and women.

Kirklees has assessed the contracts of 14,000 staff. Most of the workers have seen either no change or a pay rise as a result.

But 400 workers had their pay rate cut on June 1.

Members of Kirklees Unison have already voted to strike over the issue.

Yesterday Jane Scullion, the council’s director of organisational development, said: “We understand that the changes brought in by Single Status may cause some individual hardship in the short-term. I would urge anyone with serious concerns to speak to their manager.”

Mrs Scullion added that the Single Status changes had to be brought in to prevent the council being sued.

She said: “The bottom line is that we cannot lose sight of our legal duties. The council has to adhere to equal pay legislation.

“Failure to do so would leave us open to legal action and, potentially, some very expensive compensation payments.”