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Trade unions should have ‘say’ on top bosses’ pay, says Unite

7 September 2010

Trade union representatives should have ‘a say’ on how much senior executives are awarded in pay rises, Unite, the largest union in the country, has said.

Unite was responding to the Hutton review on fair pay in the public sector, following the furore over the vast disparity between what top bosses get paid in the public sector and the lowest paid struggling, in many cases, on £13,000-a-year.

Unite’s assistant general secretary for public services, Gail Cartmail, said: ”Unite believes that remuneration committees in the public and private sectors should include trade union representation to provide an employee perspective.”

In its submission to the review, Unite also criticised why the review was not investigating the pay in such organisations as the Royal Mail, the BBC and taxpayer-supported nationalised banks, where the government aspiration of a 20:1 ratio between the chief executive and the lowest paid appeared to be exceeded.

Gail Cartmail, who is Unite’s representative in discussions with the Hutton review team, said: ”The unions have worked solidly to close the gender pay gap in the public sector and this effort has helped bring in much needed pay transparency.

”Likewise unions are responsible for weighting pay demands in favour of bringing up the lowest pay grades. Unions through national collective pay bargaining have put fairness high up on our bargaining agenda.

”Yet, at the very top of some organisations employers have snubbed such principles. It is galling that among those seeking to drive down pay and imposing pay freezes are the highest paid local government chief executives or their counterparts in some voluntary organisations.

”Likewise, facts concerning public sector pay show the necessary recruitment of professionals educated to degree level or equivalent are twisted to present a distorted picture. The Hutton review now has a chance to set the record straight.”
 
Unite has 250,000 members working the public sector embracing the NHS, local government, education and the prison service.

The government asked Will Hutton, currently the executive vice-chair of the Work Foundation, to make recommendations to the chancellor and prime minister by March 2011 on promoting pay fairness in the public sector by tackling disparities between the lowest and the highest paid in public sector organisations. The review will produce an interim report by late autumn 2010.

ENDS

Notes to news editors:

Read the Unite submission to Will Hutton review

For further information, please ring: Gail Cartmail 07768 931 305 or Shaun Noble, communications officer  on 020 7420 8951 or 07768 693 940