The Tory controlled administration in Brighton is being opposed by a coalition of Labour, Green and Lib Dem councillors who do not support cuts to the wages of council workers.

In a long-running dispute between employees and the Council the Tory administration has informed employees in the street cleaning and refuse service that they intend to slash their wages by up to £8000 each.

In response to this threat the GMB Trade Union is in the process of initiating a ballot of their workers for industrial action. The GMB has written to all 54 Brighton & Hove City Councillors individually to ask them if they personally support the decision to cut the wages of Cityclean workers.

Of 54 Councillors, 13 Labour Councillors, 13 Green Councillors and 2 Lib Dem Councillors have responded stating they do not support the cuts. This is a total of 28 Brighton & Hove City Councillors who are against the cuts, giving a clear majority that would be able to vote down any Conservative proposal to go ahead with the cuts at full council.

GMB Officer Rob Macey said:
"We are delighted to know that our members have the support of the Labour, Green and Lib Dem Councillors in Brighton & Hove who have stated unequivocally that they do not support the proposed cuts to wages.

"These Councillors know what it would mean to hardworking GMB members who perform some of the most difficult jobs in the Council to have their wages cut by up to £8000.

"We are disgusted but not surprised that individual Conservative Councillors have not even had the courtesy to respond to our members and have instead hid behind council officers to deliver the bad news.

"Voters across the Country should look at Brighton and Hove City Council as an example to see how a Conservative Administration has a devastating effect on hardworking public service workers by slashing budgets, services and wages.

"We now hope the opposition parties will continue to work together to ensure that the Conservatives are not allowed to carry out this draconian policy."

Leader of the Lib Dem group Cllr Paul Elgood, said:
"The council is being totally unrealistic if they think they can slash people's wages in this way. Yes it is right to equalise wage levels but this is usually done by bringing all workers up to the same level. You can't penalise one group of workers in this way, after all it is the council who offered them this pay scale in the first place. This needs to be re-thought out or the Tory-run Council will face a winter of discontent."

Leader of the Labour Group, Cllr Gill Mitchell said,
“The Labour Group will not support any cuts to the wages of these essential workers.  There is now a widening pay gap at the council with top earners getting disproportionately more than those at the front line.  We know that the Tories’ budget is already millions adrift after just six months, and with no money left at all for repairs to council homes until next spring.  It is simply not right that low-paid workers and council tenants are bearing the brunt of this shameful financial mismanagement."

For more information about Brighton and Hove Council view:
www.brighton-hove.gov.uk