Cambridgeshire council staff dress as Scrooge to protest unpaid Christmas leave

Cambridgeshire County Council staff have protested plans forcing them to take unpaid leave over Christmas.

Council staff earning more than £26,000 will have to take three days unpaid leave between Christmas and the New Year. The equivalent salary will be taken out of the staff's monthly salary, the equivalent of a 1.2% pay cut.

Council staff protested outside Shire Hall on 19 November 2018 with booklets titled 'Merry Xmas from your laid off staff' and a picture of Scrooge - famously known as a cold-hearted character who despised Christmas - on the front cover.

Cambridgeshire County Council, which has been trying to find almost £15 million of savings in this year's budget, said the move was a "last resort".

The authority said it will save almost a million pounds - the equivalent of cutting 40 jobs.