Proposals to freeze wages for Sandwell leisure centre staff
Leisure centre staff in Sandwell face losing up to £1,000 if a proposal to freeze wages for two years is accepted, it has been claimed.
Unions representing workers at council-owned sports venues are asking their members to either agree to the salary standstill or take industrial action to protect pay.
The wage freeze has been proposed by Sandwell Leisure Trust (SLT), which manages sports halls and swimming pools, and says it’s lost half a million pounds during the coronavirus lockdown.
Tony Barnsley, branch secretary for Sandwell’s Unison branch said any pay freeze would mean a wage cut in real terms.
He said: “We represent members at all levels and staff could lose up to £500 – £1,000 a year depending on their pay grade. In addition, the trust is saying it wants to leave the national negotiating framework that negotiates wages.
“This year, employers are offering a 2.75 percent increase which our staff won’t receive followed by a further wage cut in real terms next year.”
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He added the trust’s 300 staff should be treated the same as council workers.
Unison is now asking Sandwell Council to either provide more money to SLT or take back direct control of leisure centres.
Mr Barnsley added: “Sandwell is spending over £60 million on the new Commonwealth Aquatic Centre.
“If the council were to subsidise the leisure trust, any pay increase would be a small part of the money they would put in.”
Warned
Unions are now waiting for the result of a ballot asking if staff will accept the wage freeze. If rejected, they will hold a second vote on industrial action.
The dispute comes as councils across the country say they face a financial crisis because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Sandwell has warned it faces a £2.8 million deficit.
In a statement, SLT chief executive Ash Rai, said the trust had seen losses of £500,000 by the end of May.
He said: “Sandwell Leisure Trust is an independent registered charity managing sport and leisure services on behalf of and in partnership with Sandwell Council and not an armlength company. Our board need to be able to make local decisions for the local people whom we employ.
“It is vital that our board have tight control over the trusts costs during these very difficult and uncertain times. Our board need to consider measures that support our business plan and short to medium term sustainability and demonstrate this to the council.
“The annual turnover for the Sandwell contract is £10.5 million for the financial year 2020-21. The loss of income after taking account of the monthly management fee payments that the council has continued to provide to support the trust, utilising the Government’s Job Retention Scheme (JRS) and claiming the retail and hospitality grant is half a million pounds as at the end of May.”
Sandwell Council declined to say whether it will provide more cash or take back control of sports halls. Saying it be inappropriate to comment on matters relating to SLT staffing, it added: “We are currently working with SLT to assess what support they may need in the future.”
The result of the ballot is expected next week.
