Richard Baum

Tonight’s Council meeting was dramatic, and certainly the most raucous I have been involved in. The public gallery was full to overflowing with staff affected by the job evaluation regrading which has come to the fore in recent weeks. When that particular issue came up, the meeting descended into chaos and shouting as the public vented their fury at the Leader, leading to an adjournment. When the gallery was cleared of protesters, the Labour group walked out, leaving the chamber and refusing to return to continue the meeting.

Put simply, the Equal Pay issue is that many staff are threatened with losing upto 40% of their salaries, many thousands of pounds, after a job evaluation exercise designed to bring the single status agreement into place. Single status is designed to ensure equal pay for jobs of equal worth. Bury has evaluated all roles, and some of them have seen pay reductions. The staff in those roles are obviously unhappy with this. When the equal pay issue was brought up during the Leader’s statement, and then again at question time, the answers from the Leader and the Executive Member for HR were met with anger, shouting and abuse from the gallery. I don’t think anyone came out of the situation well, and it is a shame that a good opportunity for real debate has gone begging.

The staff and unions got little out of the meeting tonight, but they must take some blame for that themselves. Whilst it was understandable that the temperature was running high, the staff did themselves no favours by behaving like an angry mob. I can fully understand how their predicament would have them angry. I would be inclined to shout myself if in their shoes. But nobody will get anywhere by angry voices alone, and when it became clear that the Leader’s answers weren’t being heard without interruption, the Mayor was right to adjourn the meeting after several warnings, and clear the chamber of the protesters. Their tactics were disrespectful, and their behaviour has no place in the Council chamber. They may well have been more frustrated still by the Leader’s evasiveness. But still, their actions were uncalled for. I hope they get the chance to air their views again, but if so they must do so properly and allow time for real answers.

The Labour group’s withdrawal from the meeting in support of the banished staff was a cheap stunt which will do nobody any favours in the long run. Their behaviour before the adjournment was also unreasonable, refusing to acknowledge the fact that it was under a Labour administration that the groundwork for these plans was laid. Labour claim to stick up for the Council staff, but the facts are that this is not a party political issue between Labour and the Tories. The policy is being implemented by the Tories, sure, but it was first agreed to by Labour, who have no solutions to it themselves other than to do what the Tories already suggest. For Labour to pretend now that simple answers exist is wrong and unfair to staff. And their walking out tonight in support of an angry mob displays their own lack of respect for the only way that this can be sorted - namely patient dialogue. The only way we will get an equitable result for staff is if there is a proper debate involving all sides. For one side to walk out is just not on.

The walkout was an abandonment of the people of bury, not just on equal pay, but on the other important issues that were debated after Labour left, including Radcliffe Riverside school and local planning issues. Labour played no part in these discussions. They had gone home to watch the football in disgust. Their abdication of the duty to be a sensible opposition, asking questions reasonably, is disgracefully short-sighted and childish. Their absence did allow though for a continuation of sensible debate on Job Evaluation involving the Lib Dems as the sole remaining opposition, including a commitment from the Executive to explore any possible way to make the process fairer. If Labour were a real friend of the Council staff, they should have stayed to question the Leader sensibly and rationally, rather than to chase the easy applause of a worked-up crowd. Tomorrow when things have calmed down, what will Labour’s walk-out have achieved? Very little. And what will they say to the people of Radcliffe about their school? They had the chance to debate it, but forgot the important by focusing on the urgent, to the detriment of a great many people. Their leadership should think again about their priorities.

But it is The Leader too who needs to learn lessons from tonight. His answers were too often evasive, defensive, and prone to slip into party political blame games. His decision to delegate responsibility for answering to the Executive Member was wrong, and showed a lack of leadership when it was most needed. He should have made a clear statement, answered questions himself, and been resolute without trying to pin blame on the opposition. It is little wonder that the public and the opposition groups were so frustrated when The Leader himself was so easily rattled, so quick to blame others, and so intransigent in his answers. He needs to be better prepared in future, and more willing to take on his critics head on and be responsive to the questions asked. He would win more friends and more votes if he answered honestly and in good faith, rather than reciting bits of a statement over and over.

Lib Dems locally have been working hard with the Unions, officers and the Executive to make sure the appeals process and the overall Equal Pay / Job Evaluation process is as fair as possible. We will continue to do so over the coming months, and will not stoop to childish stunts as Labour did tonight. Labour let themselves and the staff of Bury MBC down tonight, and I hope that in the coming months all sides come back to the table to try and sort this issue out.

Rick