PUBLIC SECTOR PAY

At a recent council meeting, and in line with recent press reports relating to the issue of public-sector pay levels, a debate was held following a proposal for pay to be reviewed. There was unanimous approval for a review to be undertaken in the autumn.

During the debate, two thoughts occurred to me. The first was in connection with a comment made about the disparity between public-sector pay and that of the private sector. I believe that to compare the two is disingenuous. Those employed in the private sector know all too well the impact of business ‘transformation’ which has resulted in redundancies and pay cuts across the economy; with job roles often redefined to justify this stance.

The second statement that caused me to take note was that public-sector staff are now ‘working harder for less’.

If indeed this is the case, then this is largely as a result of funding cuts at a time when public demand for services is on the increase. Playing devil’s advocate, there is of course the argument that there are only so many hours in a day and we can only work so hard; if staff are working harder now, does this mean that perhaps they weren’t working as hard as they could in the first place?

In an average week, I work around 70 hours, but in my own case this is because I choose to do so, not because I am required to do the bidding of a demanding boss with unrealistic expectations.

Where staff are working beyond their contracted hours to get the job done, the fault lies in the allocation and management of their work load. This is down to senior management and brings into play the very real issue of staff frequently working extremely long hours to satisfy unreasonable demands on them. 

Those who work like Trojans do so feel because they feel obliged to do so, in order to keep their jobs. This is where the real problem lies, and it is clearly unacceptable. No wonder sickness levels are high; it is the only way that many can cope with the pressure.