The lowest paid council staff are being forced to take out payday loans for Christmas after it was revealed they wouldn’t receive their pay rise until February, according to a union chief.
David Scott who is the West Dunbartonshire convener of the GMB told the Lennox Herald he has had workers in tears after it was revealed the payment wouldn’t be made until the new year.
And he has accused Scrooge local authority bosses of cancelling Christmas for dedicated staff. The union man told us: “It’s embarrassing and frustrating for the people who have done their best to work through the pandemic for all of the vulnerable people out there while they themselves are vulnerable.
“Christmas in West Dunbartonshire this year is officially cancelled for the thousands of low paid workers who have kept services going through the current pandemic.”
Last week we told how a deal had been done for the majority of council staff who would now be getting between 3.4 percent and 4.7 percent backdated to January 2021. This came after unions thrashed out an improved offer with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) including a flat rate of £1,062 for those on the lowest wage bracket.
But the hammer blow was revealed to Mr Scott late last month and he had to let members know the money wouldn’t be with them in time for Christmas.
He said: “There have been a lot of concerns. There are people taking out loans because they are not getting this money. They have got to put food on the table and keep the heating on.
“It’s the usual with this council. It is the lowest paid who are getting hit.
“It is predominately female workers, janitorial, facilities staff and cleaners.”
The council told the Lennox Herald it is trying to process the work involved as quickly as possible, with the majority of council employees receiving their December salaries on December 9, just five working days after the pay deal was agreed.
There has been outrage in other areas of the country including in Aberdeen with council bosses there accused of cancelling Christmas due to the delay. In West Dunbartonshire those paid monthly will have to wait until the end of January and those on a four-weekly pay cycle won’t get the money until February 3. However other areas, including Edinburgh have vowed to pay workers the shortfall before December 25.
Mr Scott went on: “I am at a loss as to why this is happening. I think it’s scandalous.”
A West Dunbartonshire Council spokeswoman said: “This is a significant and complex piece of work which requires calculation of arrears across two tax years, multiple percentage increases related to spinal points, the different percentage increases being applicable for various periods of time per individual, and a high degree of accuracy.”
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