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Council leaders impose 'pay cut' on workers
Council staff in North Ayrshire could be balloted on strike action after the breakdown of pay talks between public sector unions and the local authority umbrella group CoSLA (the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities).
Leaders of Scotland’s 32 councils, including North Ayrshire, have decided to impose what amounts to a three-year pay cut on the 150,000 staff who deliver a broad range of services to local communities across the country.
Previously, CoSLA had offered a three-year deal that would have provided a 1-percent wage increase this year, nothing extra in 2011 and just 0.5-percent in 2012. However, trade unions representing council workers rejected the proposal, pointing out that, as inflation was significantly higher than what was being offered, councils were asking staff to take a pay cut. Now, though, council leaders are to impose an even worse deal on staff.
The ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ proposal offers workers a rise of 0.65-percent this year, and nothing in the two following years. With the latest inflation figures showing prices rising at around 3.1-percent, CoSLA’s deal will leave most council workers considerably worse-off.
Trade unions - Unison, Unite and the GMB - had asked for a wage increase this year of 3-percent or £600 for the lowest-paid workers. This was rejected by council leaders, including North Ayrshire’s David O’Neill.
While council bosses claim wage rises are impossible in the current economic situation, trade unions point out that 28 of the country’s 32 local authorities had already factored-in salary increases to this year's budgets, with teachers already receiving a yearly uplift of 2.4-percent and chief officers 2.5-percent.
In addition, Unison states that councils ‘saved’ £258 million in 2008-09 through ‘efficiencies’, which was £83 million more than the target they had been given. The union also highlighted how Scotland’s local authorities last year spent £48 million on hiring private consultants.
A North Ayrshire Unison spokesperson said, “Local government workers are amongst the lowest paid in the public sector. Ordinary council workers didn’t cause the financial crisis, we didn’t lose billions on the futures markets or selling sub-prime mortgage securities. We shouldn’t pay the price for bailing out the banks. We need to show that the work we do for our communities is valued and valuable – and that means a decent rate of pay.”
Regarding the bosses decision to impose an effective three-year pay cut on workers, the Unison rep said members would be balloted and that, although industrial action could mean strikes, there were also other alternative measures that could be taken by the workforce.
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Car park monitoring sub-contractors couldn't speak English
Mystery deepened this week over staff employed by a private company currently logging vehicle registration numbers in local car parks.
In last week’s the3towns.com we revealed how a reader had spotted representatives of a company called Streetwise Services Limited as they went around the Braes car park in Saltcoats, entering vehicle numbers into hand-held computers. Now, after an investigation by the3towns.com, it can be confirmed the company is employed by a firm of engineering consultants who have, themselves, been hired by North Ayrshire Council. However, questions are now being asked about some members of Streetwise Services' staff, who were unable to converse in English when approached by a reporter from the3towns.com.
With regard to the current Council operation itself, a local authority employee who spoke to us this week confirmed Streetwise Services Limited were sub-contractors of Glasgow-based Grontmij Engineering, who had been employed by NAC as consultants on a project to analyse parking trends and usage in the local area.
According to our Council source, “Streetwise Services are using number plate data to record and track usage at car parks, how long cars occupy spaces and how often the same number appears in different areas.” The Council worker indicated that recorded information would be deleted after it had been analysed.
However, in addition to concerns over individual vehicle data being recorded by a private company and the reasons why North Ayrshire Council wants such information, the issue of some Streetwise Services’ staff being unable to speak English raised questions over whether they were adequately trained to deal with the public.
Last Saturday afternoon, a reporter from the3towns.com encountered three members of Streetwise Services’ personnel, all wearing hi-visibility jackets bearing the company name and logo. The men, all of oriental appearance, were taking a break on a bench in Ardrossan’s Glasgow Street. Our reporter asked them what they were doing and, initially, the men simply stared back. Then, one said, “No speak English.” At that, all three rose and walked down Glasgow Street towards its junction with Princes Street.
In light of this encounter, the3towns.com contacted Streetwise Services Limited and posed the following questions: “Can you please confirm how Streetwise Services Ltd satisfied itself that its employees on this specific contract were able to operate effectively in Scotland, and were fully compliant with UK regulations for working in this country? Also, what rate does Streetwise Services Ltd pay for the posts occupied by the personnel who recently carried out work in Ardrossan, and where were the jobs advertised?”
In response, Mr Fraser Menzies of Streetwise Services Limited said, “we are working for North Ayrshire Council and I would refer you to their Communications Section at Cunninghame House.”
the3towns.com then posed the same questions to the local authority’s Communications Department. A response was subsequently received from the office of NAC’s Head of Infrastructure and Design, which said, “As part of the Council's procurement process, consultants and contractors confirm, at the pre-qualification stage, that they comply with all relevant employment legislation. Consultants and contractors working on our behalf have an obligation to apply these conditions to any sub-contractor.
“In this case, consultants Grontmij Ltd have been commissioned to carry out a parking study and have sub-contracted the data capture element of that study to a private company (Streetwise Services).”
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Safety fears after car incidents at Ardrossan school
New calls have been made this week for police and North Ayrshire Council to tackle problems caused by parents parking cars in Ardrossan’s South Isle Road as they wait for children to emerge from St Peter’s Primary School.
The latest demands for action came after two serious incidents last Wednesday (August 25). One witness told the3towns.com how a car, left in a side-road, had rolled forward and was only stopped when it hit another parked vehicle. Said the witness, “Had it not hit the parked car, it would have continued rolling down-hill and would have careered into South Isle Road just as children were leaving St Peter’s.”
Incredibly, just minutes after that incident, two vehicles collided on South Isle Road as they attempted to manoeuvre through and around cars parked by parents waiting to pick-up children.
Back in February, the3towns.com reported how residents who live near the school had stated ‘enough is enough’ in relation to the ‘rush-hour’ parking congestion caused by parents on the school-run. At that time, one nearby householder told of a young mum being forced into the road with a buggy because the pavement was blocked by cars. The resident said, “It’s absolute chaos when they (parents in cars) are waiting for the school to come out. They just pull their cars up onto the pavement and it’s impossible to get past.”
In a warning borne out by last week’s incidents, the woman concluded, “They actually make things very unsafe for their own kids coming out of school. There are cars everywhere and children have to dodge around them. It’s only a matter of time before there is an accident.”
the3towns.com understands that, since last Wednesday’s collisions, Strathclyde Police has had a presence in South Isle Road during drop-off and pick-up times at St Peter’s.
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Footpath used as short-cut by 'idiot' drivers
Residents of a busy Saltcoats estate have asked for measures to be taken at a pedestrian path before an idiotic car driver knocks-down a child.
The path, which links Carrick Avenue with Windmill Wynd and other streets in a relatively new development by Cunninghame Housing Association, is only supposed to be used by people on foot, but it was constructed wide-enough to accommodate cars and, according to residents, some idiots have been using it as a short-cut. The route by car should be via the main Dalry Road.
One woman who spoke this week to the3towns.com said, “It’s only a matter of time before one of these idiots knocks-down a kid. There are loads of young children in this estate, and they all play over at the grassed area where the path is. But I won’t let my two go over there because of the danger with idiots driving their cars across the path.”
The woman continued, “Personally, in the last week, I’ve seen a white BMW and a red hatchback-type car drive across the path, and they don’t even go slow.”
The residents’ concerns have now been raised with Saltcoats & Stevenston Independent councillor Ronnie McNicol, who condemned the actions of irresponsible drivers and indicated he would seek to have measures implemented to prevent the path from being used by vehicles.
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Community Council anger over Hunterston waste proposal
Following their recent monthly meeting in Stanley School, Ardrossan Community Council have issued a strong statement attacking plans for a Graphite Waste Store on the site of the Hunterston ‘A’ nuclear power station.
Hunterston ‘A’ ceased operations in March 1990 and is presently being decommissioned by Magnox North. However, the company recently announced it was to carry out a feasibility study into the possibility of creating a store at the site, which, if it was given the go-ahead, would see used graphite and other intermediate-level radioactive waste kept at Hunterston until a permanent, underground disposal facility is identified.
Reacting to this news, Ardrossan Community Council, through chairperson Mhairi Hodge, said, “Magnox North appears to assume it will dictate what will happen to the waste. The owner of Magnox is an American Company called Energy Solutions, which historically has favoured burial of waste over other disposal methods. It is worth noting that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has a research and development department that promotes innovation, yet the current proposal does not show innovation at all.”
Ms Hodge reflected on how the creation of a waste store at Huntertson ‘A’, and the possibility the location may eventually be used for underground storage, provided a contradiction with requirements for decommissioned nuclear sites to be returned to ‘green field’ status. Commenting, the Community Council chairperson said, “There is little detail given on near-surface disposal. There have been few answers to the many questions asked at many meetings with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the Scottish Government. There seems to be a lack of information and guarantees that this waste will be removed at the end of the period stated by Magnox North.”
Continuing, Ms Hodge said, “It is worth noting that the area under discussion, where waste may be buried up to 100m underground, sits on a natural fault line in an area that is partly re-claimed land.
“Magnox North states that the waste will be kept until a suitable geological site is approved. This is in conflict with Scottish Government policy, which says that waste generated in Scotland should be kept in Scotland. The only area in Britain that has shown any interest in such a disposal is in Cumbria. The people of Drigg in Cumbria, where some of the waste presently goes, have secured a Benefit Fund to be spent in the area. No such fund has been proposed for
Ayrshire, and we are asking why this has not been put on the agenda in the first instance. At this time, there appears to be no benefit to having a waste store in Ayrshire.”
Concluding, Mhairi Hodge echoed the fears of many local residents when she said, “It would appear the American owners of Magnox North have earmarked Hunterston as a nuclear dumping ground. This may mean all nuclear waste from other areas in Scotland coming to Ayrshire, and we must not forget the Ministry of Defence, who have already had discussions with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on handling its waste.”
The Community Council, which has representation on the Hunterston Site Stakeholders Group, indicated it looked forward to raising its concerns at forthcoming meetings.
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'Thousands face debt and homelessness' - Katy Clark MP
Thousands of people in Scotland could face debt and homelessness as a result of spending cuts proposed by the Tory-Lib Dem Government in London. That’s the stark warning this week from local Labour MP Katy Clark.
Ms Clark, who represents North Ayrshire & Arran, claimed UK Government plans to cut £1.8bn from Housing Benefit payments will have a huge impact on the most vulnerable. According to figures produced by the Department for Work and Pensions, 97-percent of British households are reliant on Local Housing Allowance.
“If the Government goes through with the huge cuts to Housing Benefit that they announced in their Emergency Budget, then thousands of people in Scotland face debt and homelessness," said Katy Clark.
"There is a real shortage of public sector housing, which pushes people into private lets that they cannot afford. Local Housing Allowance allows them to move into the private sector to secure housing when they would otherwise be homeless. If these tenants lose on average £520 per year, then it is inevitable some will fall into rent arrears and eventually face the prospects of homelessness."
Ms Clark concluded, "The Government must rethink this decision. They have claimed they will make cuts to reduce the deficit while promising to protect the vulnerable, but this cannot be achieved with cuts like this, to this type of benefit. These proposed cuts are counter-productive. We will all pay the cost if people lose their homes."
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Junior Football
Results
Saturday, August 21 2010.
Stagecoach Ayrshire District League
Kello Rovers 0 Maybole 3
Craigmark Burntonians 1 Lugar Boswell Thistle 5
Ardrossan Winton Rovers 7 Ardeer Thistle 2
Darvel Juniors 1 Muirkirk 3
Saltcoats Victoria 0 Dalry Thistle 2
Monday, August 23 2010.
Stagecoach Ayrshire District League
Irvine Victoria 0 Troon Juniors 1
Wednesday, August 25 2010.
Ardagh Glass League Cup - Quarter Finals
Beith Juniors 7 Irvine Victoria 0
Irvine Meadow 4 Ardrossan Winton Rovers 1
Auchinleck Talbot 1 Girvan 0
Whitletts Victoria 3 Cumnock 1
Fixtures
Saturday, August 28 2010. Kick-offs - 2:00pm.
Stagecoach Ayrshire District League
Maybole V Troon Juniors
Dalry Thistle V Kello Rovers
Muirkirk V Saltcoats Victoria
Ardeer Thistle V Darvel Juniors
Lugar Boswell Thistle V Adrossan Winton Rovers
Irvine Victoria V Craigmark Burntonians
Wednesday, September 1 2010. Kick-offs 6:30pm.
Ardagh Glass League Cup - Semi Finals
Beith Juniors V Irvine Meadow
Auchinleck Talbot V Whitletts Victoria