MORE than 100 council workers are having their pay frozen under a policy called “BOB” – a name a Keynsham councillor has called demeaning.
A new pay structure at Bath and North East Somerset Council lowers the pay for 106 roles.
People in roles facing pay cuts will have their pay frozen for three years, after the national pay award is applied, under the council’s pay protection policy. The pay structure will also mean a pay rise for 62% of the council’s 3,500 staff.
It is part of the council’s “Being Our Best” programme, which is often shortened to “BOB.” A council service to answer staff’s questions about how the pay cut will affect them is called “Ask BOB.”
Dave Biddleston, Labour councillor for Keynsham South, said: “I’m talking to residents in Keynsham that are affected by this and they are having to say they are losing money under “BOB.” And the acronym feels demeaning.”
Mr Biddleston was speaking at a protest organised by Unison outside a full meeting of Bath and North East Somerset Council on May 22.
A spokesperson for the B&NES branch of Unison said: “Whilst we accept that some staff will see a pay increase, we cannot be expected to turn our backs on the members who are worse off because of BOB.
“Some members have shared the dire impact this is having on their mental health, how they feel undervalued and ignored, at a time when we have been told we are to celebrate the council’s values of bold, empowered, supportive and transparent.”
About a third of the council’s IT department will be affected by the pay cut.
The new pay structure came into effect from June 1. People in roles for which the pay is being cut will have their pay frozen for three years at its current rate under the council’s pay protection policy.
If the new lower pay level for the role increases to more than the level a council worker’s pay was frozen at, they will be paid the higher wage, and the council has said: “At the end of that period it is possible no individual will see an overall reduction in pay.”
But there is no guarantee that pay will catch up, and three years of frozen pay will still be a real terms pay cut, meaning it will gradually be worth less due to inflation.
A further 245 more council workers in the passenger transport and waste and recycling departments could also face pay cuts when the proposals for those departments are implemented separately in the coming weeks.
The new pay policy was unanimously approved by the council’s employment committee on May 14.
Will Godfrey, the council’s chief executive, said: “This agreement marks an important step towards establishing a fair, sustainable, and modern pay structure that is fit for purpose.”
John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporting Service
Outcry as B&NES council workers’ pay frozen
