Suffolk County Council must urgently fix a problem that means experienced staff could be paid as much as £6,000 less than new starters, says UNISON today.
The glitch means some new joiners will end up earning more than their managers, says the union.
The county’s libraries were brought back in house earlier this year as the charity running the service, Suffolk Libraries, was running out of cash. The council said the move would secure the future of all 45 libraries.
Following a review of jobs, the authority is now advertising frontline library and information assistant roles at £13.05. That is 45p an hour more than staff who transferred from Suffolk Libraries are paid.
New library manager jobs are being advertised at £34,434 a year, which is £6,000 more than their equivalents who are already in post. It’s also a higher salary than that of many executive library mangers, who have greater responsibilities, says UNISON.
The union says the disparities are causing anger among staff. There is further ill feeling because of a restructure of the libraries’ central services, which could lead to job losses.
Managers are being urged by the union to move all staff on to the council salaries and rule out redundancies.
UNISON Eastern regional organiser Winston Dorsett said: “Suffolk County Council should have started paying all library workers properly and fairly after they were brought back in house.
“This has led to a ridiculous situation where new starters have bigger salaries than experienced staff.
“The council must act quickly to show staff they’re valued. It’s time to fix the glitch and rule out job losses.”