Third of staff at Newcastle Council could have pay cut

A third of staff at Newcastle City Council could have their pay cut - under plans to remove higher rates for weekend and night workers.

It will affect around 1800, some losing up to £3,800 a year. Unions have described it as 'a disgrace' - but the council says it has to save £30 million - and this will prevent 100 redundancies

In September the council announced it had to save £30m next year (£70m over the next three years).

The council say the terms and conditions staff currently receive were agreed in 2010 and that councils which settled later did not give their staff such generous terms and conditions. They say ending 'enhanced payments' and replacing them with a 'plain rate' would bring the council in line with what some other councils pay their staff.

The council say they will now enter into negotiations with the trade unions to try and reach an agreement.

Cllr Veronica Dunn, Cabinet Member for Resources said an agreement would help them preserve frontline services: