Glasgow calls for pan-public sector pay freeze

21 May 09
The finance leader of Scotland’s biggest council has called for a pay freeze across the public sector to meet tightening spending targets and avoid widespread job cuts

By David Scott in Edinburgh

The finance leader of Scotland’s biggest council has called for a pay freeze across the public sector to meet tightening spending targets and avoid widespread job cuts.

Gordon Matheson, city treasurer of Glasgow City Council, told the Scottish Parliament finance committee on May 12 that his council was considering a pay freeze as it faced funding cuts of up to £99m to meet a potential cash standstill by 2010/11.

He warned: ‘We simply cannot meet through service reform and efficiencies those kind of targets in 2011 and I suggest that a pay freeze is an essential contribution towards that.’

In a submission to the committee, the city council said £99m was equivalent to the cost of employing about 4,000 staff.

Labour MSP David Whitton told Matheson: ‘Yours is the council that also came along and said “let’s have a £7 an hour minimum wage payment”. Now you’re saying council workers should have a pay freeze. Which one is it?’

Matheson said Glasgow was aiming to pay a living wage. He added: ‘To be clear, the call is for everyone above the living wage to take a pay freeze next year across the public sector.’

He added: ‘Why is it that local government are the only people who need to make tough decisions? I would expect the Scottish Government would also take that kind of approach across other areas of the public sector.’

Matt Smith, Scottish secretary of Unison, accused Matheson of being ‘woefully uninformed’. He added: ‘To cut staff pay in a recession simply further deepens that recession as fewer people have less money to purchase goods and services.’

 

Did you enjoy this article?

AddToAny

Top