Scottish Ministers, Dodgy Deals and Council Bosses


 Cuatrocientos Veinte Por Ciento. 420%. Ilustración 3d Sobre Fondo Blanco. Fotos, Retratos, Imágenes Y Fotografía De Archivo Libres De Derecho. Image 76339096.

SNP supporters have been engaged in a silly row on social media over something which has zero impact on people's daily lives - the relative number (percentage) of Covid cases in Scotland compared to England. 

Meanwhile SNP supporters are curiously silent over an issue which is of real significance to tens of thousands of council employees - the hugely better pay increase awarded to council bosses in Scotland. 

Take Glasgow's council leader, Cllr Susan Aitken, as an example - Cllr Aitken received a 4.2% cost of living pay increase last year or an extra £2,250 on top of her old £53,567 salary.

Yet a council employee on the same salary as Cllr Aitken received just 1% - an increase of £536 (rounded up) on top of their £53,567 and a big difference of £1,714 a year.

Similar differences exist further down the council pay scales, but as an experienced negotiator, Unison's former Head of Local Government in Scotland and Joint Secretary of the COSLA bargaining machinery I can think of no good reason for council bosses being given such preferential treatment.

To my mind these pay arrangements are shameful and the exact opposite of leadership, yet they were introduced by Scottish Ministers back in 2017 and have been operating for the past 5 years - without any independent oversight.  

For those keen on percentages the pay rise awarded to Cllr Aitken amounts to a 420% increase compared to a council employee in the same pay bracket.

Anyone for social justice and equal pay for work of equal value - instead of the SNP's hidden, deceitful and decidedly dodgy deals?


  

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