Bridgend Show Utter Contempt

I attended a public meeting last night organised by Plaid's Bethan Jenkins AM and local party activists in Bridgend, to clarify what has been going on in Bridgend Council. As with all Councils in Wales, they have been going through a combination of a job evaluation and also a process called 'single status.' Both processes basically looking at the roles that workers do and how to pay more fairly for them, negotiations meeting the expectations of 30 year old equality legislation. Both sets of negotiations are fraught with difficulties, which is why all Councils have gone out of their way to consult at every stage and handle their staff with as much respect and sensitivity as possible - well nearly all Councils apart from the 3 Labour controlled ones that is.

Labour controlled Neath Port Talbot were the first to show 'bully-boy' tactics by threatening their staff with redundancy notices unless they signed new contracts with a pay cut for all, much to the disgust of the unions. Then followed Rhondda Cynon Taf who were even more bullying in their tactics and threats to staff; the Labour leadership claiming that there was no other way. Funny that, as all the Welsh non Labour controlled Council had found 'another way' without resorting to such underhand actions.

However, the prize for the most incompetent, insensitive and mind-blowing stupid approach to these negotiations has to go to Labour controlled Bridgend Council. If I had to arrange a row of boxes to tick in how NOT to handle job evaluation and single status, then not only have Bridgend ticked all the boxes, but even added a few extra.

I went to the public meeting last night preparing for difficult stories but wanting to counteract some very reasonable concerns with an honest appraisal of how difficult it is to deal with these legal issues, but that approach soon went out of the window. I was struggling to find anything that Bridgend Council had done that I could defend. How the hell did they get this so fundamentally wrong? Just to list a few clangers that they have dropped: -

• There is no back pay for employees who will get a pay rise due to the deal (they are entitled to up to 4 years).
• There is no pay protection at all for employees facing a pay cut.
• They have removed altogether pay enhancements for overtime, unsocial hours etc, when they were supposed to simplify and make the system equal - not non-existent.
• They have managed to concoct a pay formula that will mean some employees facing a 50% pay cut.
• They have declined to borrow cash through the Welsh Government to pay for issues such as back pay, despite many other Welsh Authorities doing so.
• They appear not to have saved any reserves to afford pay protection for any period of claiming, in contrast to other Welsh Authorities.

The list goes on and on, with some horror stories last night from workers not knowing where to turn. Interestingly, Bethan Jenkins was berated by this Council for previously holding meetings about the closure of local care homes and not inviting them along. She invited them last night, but they didn't turn up. I wonder why? Well, the packed hall that did turn up were absolutely outraged by their treatment, particularly when they realised that Bridgend have had alternative options and have just not chosen them. It became clear as the evening wore on, that the Council in August decided for reasons only known to themselves to jump 12 months or so of further negotiations - just to 'move things along'.

So what can be done to sort out this mess? Well for starters, Bridgend Council can accept that it has made mistakes, take a step back and make some meaningful concessions to the exasperated trade union officials trying to negotiate with them. They have to go to the Government and borrow cash to alleviate the distress caused by their callous actions and above all, they need to start showing some compassion to public sector workers who are already getting a kicking off the Westminster Government. The Labour Councillors running Bridgend appear to be passing the buck to the Officers, effectively admitting that they are incapable of running the place. Likewise, the senior officers have lost the trust of many of their staff, with their  inconceivability inept handling of the whole process.

I shall be re-visiting this topic over the coming weeks in the hope that the unions can get through to the individuals running Bridgend Council, that treating your staff with utter contempt is not necessarily the way to achieve high morale and better public services. Carwyn. What was that about 'standing up for Wales'. Well, how about standing up for your constituency, even if it does mean criticising your own party?