Doncaster Council

[Thinwhiteduke]

Just in time for the Easter Break my partner was sent a letter from good old DMBC, her employer, regarding her conditions of employment, along with thousands of other staff throughout the council.

Now, she has an annual salary of £15,200 pro rata'd as she only works 30 hour a week instead of the general 37 (therefore her actual year salary in £12324 per annum approx).

The Councils new terms, (which she has to accept or she will be sacked along with everyone else apparently), dictate a 1% pay cut up 10 £14,999, and a 2% pay cut > £15000.

It makes absolutely no difference whether you are part time or not, it is you gross salary that counts and therefore she will be hit with a 2% cut, whilst someone working 37 hours on, say, £14,850 merely loses 1% - fairly thought out system then eh?

Luckily if you are a Teacher working for DMBC, you have to take no pay cut at all - talk about all being in it together.

So, it'll hardly be surprising that large swathes of lower paid Council staff, (because Id consider my partner an actual £12324 income taking a 2% cut to be low), simply wont give a damn and their employer will get the bare minimum work wise out of them.

God forbid the full document (with its veiled threats), minus any names and distinguishing features, finds its ways into the hands of The Free Press etc.

I must admit, the draw of the benefit masses and joining them, with the money we'd save on child care, and what we'd receive in Housing Benefits etc, its a close run thing and looking very very attractive.

[Filo]

I must admit, the draw of the benefit masses and joining them, with the money we'd save on child care, and what we'd receive in Housing Benefits etc, its a close run thing and looking very very attractive.

Do it and see how unattractive it really is, if you`re in a council house you`ll get a bit of help, if you`ve got a mortgage forget it, I was made redundant after 23 years, had a £330 p/m mortgage and got £64 p/w dole money dropping to nothing after 6 months!

Don`t believe the odd story in a tabloid is representative of the millions that do struggle to make ends meet

[jucyberry]

Exactly, it is in the governments interests to promote the notion that there is this Nirvana funded by the state..(it's a good thing the papers aren't hand in glove with the government isn't it?).. 

As filo says there is a little more help if you are in a council house, but next to nothing I believe if you are a mortgage holder...

The Mail in particular delights in reporting the very extreme minority and projecting it as the majority..

Take it from me, living on ESA isn't a bundle of fun at all, Try juggling a home and utilities on £67 a week, still having to pay some rent and council tax...I am very thankful that I have never been materialistic so don't have expensive things to pay, or hanker for... Not smoking or drinking helps too..

There will always be people who fritter away their money on wasteful things in the eye of their neighbours...but here's a thought for you, It never dawned on me till the other day, when people talk of disposable income they mean money to play with, for me even when working, disposable income equalled my food money..

[Thinwhiteduke]

What really grinds is the fact they sent the offending letter out to arrive right on the brink of the Easter weekend.

For anyone slightly interested/ concerned you can follow developments at the Unison blog....

http://www.facebook.com/groups/57126123024/

[5minstogo]

To be fair since this new bird has come in she has tried her best to offer different proposals but the unions are having none of it. The money has to be found somewhere and I think most people would rather a paycut than risk redundancy.

For the record we are 2.5% down on this proposal whilst only being on one wage anyway.  Had the other proposal been agreed (buy back of holidays etc) then we would have only been about 1.5% down.   We also lost the £10 a week or so we got in Child Tax Credit this month too.

Totally pointless being involved in the union as there is no way they can please all their members and with all 3 major Unions having to agree to proposals it's just never gonna happen.

Never mind, the mortgage comes down in June, so with one hand it's given, in the other it's taken away.

Oh and I don't believe it's possible to live the lavish lifestyle, how some do on benefits, legitimately. Those who always appear to have everything are often on the fiddle.

[Filo]

From the outside looking in it looks like DMBC are basically saying sign the new T&C`s or your out of a job, first of all if they threaten to sack you it`s illegal, they have to offer redundancy terms, if they make someone redundant they are basically saying that the job position does n`t exist any more and there`s laws regarding employing some one else in that position for a certain period of time. So if everyone did n`t sign the new T&C`s then DMBC would have to do something different, they can`t sack everyone and those they do threaten to sack would have to be paid off which would undermine the cost cutting exercise

[RobTheRover]

Aren't Doncaster Unison Branch advocating no-one signs their contract?