| Careers
staff start action over imposition of unfair pay system
by Chris Bartter
Members in Scottish Enterprise are taking industrial action
short of strike following the imposition of a performance
related pay scheme that is out of date and discriminatory.
After a successful ballot, in which around 80% of those
who voted, voted yes to industrial action, members began
boycotting the collection of national statistics and have
also been publicly demonstrating their objections to the
system to the Chief Executive, Jack Perry and Minister for
Enterprise, Jim Wallace.
Regional Organiser Matt McLaughlin said, "The imposition
of this unfair and unequal scheme onto over 1100 staff in
the middle of pay talks was crass, hard nosed and destroyed
the good work that had been done in creating Careers Scotland.
Scottish Enterprise has imposed a pay structure that in
2003 saw 71% of Senior Directors awarded with a bonus of
2.5% - on average around £1400 - on top of a 4.1%
pay increase, whilst only 12% of Admin staff received a
bonus.
"Despite this glaring unfairness and inequality being
pointed out by UNISON, Jack Perry continues to ignore the
fact that the pay system he has imposed is out of date and
runs against the thrust of a number of reviews into civil
service pay."
Matt added, "At a time when other agencies such as
Scottish Courts Service, the Scottish Executive and Highlands
and Islands Enterprise have moved significantly towards
new and fair methods of distributing pay, Perry and his
Senior Directors stick rigidly to a pay formula that benefits
them and no one else."
On the prospect of further talks Matt said, "Of course
UNISON is prepared to talk to the employer - as we were
doing before this unilateral move - but they need first
of all to take a step back and come to the table with no
predetermined view other than the will and desire to create
a fair pay system for all SE staff, like most other public
service agencies."
Careers Scotland became part of Scottish Enterprise in
April 2002 bringing together 67 separate careers bodies
across Scotland.
headlines . top
|
