Some 3,000 Edinburgh City Council workers are facing pay cuts after ongoing equal pay disputes, unions warned yesterday.
The council is set to scrap a bonus scheme where staff in traditionally male roles, including refuse collectors and street sweepers, collect up to £100 a week on top of basic pay.
One in five council workers will lose out in the modernisation deal, according to Unison.
John Stevenson, the council representative for Unison, said: “Edinburgh Council and the other local authorities have been trying to implement this at zero cost and it is just not possible. Although they claim otherwise, a lot of the job evaluation process is about making savings to pay for the equal pay deal. We are fighting to get the best possible deal for all our members.”
Edinburgh City Council is offering increases in basic pay by way of compensation, Edinburgh News reports.
A council spokeswoman said the council is committed to ensuring fair and equal pay for all staff.
“The proposals being developed will simplify and modernise pay and working arrangements. Although we accept that there will be winners and losers, until the new pay structure is finalised, it’s impossible to say how individual staff will be affected,” she said.
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