Sweetner

[Frankie]

The Temporary Construction Allowance does not exist anymore.

SIC employees are paid Distant Island Allowance which is agreed nationally, not locally. Orkney and Western Isles council staff also get a Distant Islands Allowance.

 

Regarding this 34/37 hour story, I think what Marvin stated in his earlier post is correct.

When someone is offered a job with the SIC they are offered a salary and the hours they are contracted to work are 34 per week not 37. However, it also states that if overtime is worked, this first 3 hours are not paid.

[sannicktonman]

absolutely right Frankie.

 

All those who are quick to criticise the Council or its staff might want to consider for a moment the effect on the local economy (and dare I say it, some of their jobs)should the council drastically reduce spending and/or lay off a lot of staff.

Shetland would soon be back to the days of the late 60's when population was at 17,500, young folk who could left Shetland and the rest survived on fishin, croftin and knittin

[Muppet]

You presume wrong. As the Island allowance increased anually, the temporary allowance decreased by a similar account until it disappeared. This had the effect of the combined allowances standing still for a number of years, when they would normally have increased.

 

Then, presumably, it's still in place. Wearing a different skirt perhaps but, still there. Incorporating it into another payment type is just sleight of hand.

 

 

I dont agree with your reasoning there. It has not been incorporated into anything, or dressed up as something else. It was phased out over a number of years.

 

The Island allowance as has been stated by others is a nationally agreed sum designed to go some way to offset the higher cost of living here. There is even an allowance payable in London is there not, for the same reason? It is a completely separate issue.

[Ghostrider]

absolutely right Frankie.

 

All those who are quick to criticise the Council or its staff might want to consider for a moment the effect on the local economy (and dare I say it, some of their jobs)should the council drastically reduce spending and/or lay off a lot of staff.

Shetland would soon be back to the days of the late 60's when population was at 17,500, young folk who could left Shetland and the rest survived on fishin, croftin and knittin

 

What's wrong with expecting value for money?

 

Paying folk to do un-necessary work, paying folk inflated rates for actual work done, and paying folk over and above actual work done, was a good part of what destroyed the coal, steel etc industries, gave us the three day week, sank the country to near anarchy/revolution and bankruptcy in the mid 70's.

 

A fair days pay for a fair days work done is all that anyone is putting on the table as far as I can see, channeling money in to the pockets of a select few simply to artifically inflate the population figures and to do similiar to the local economy is discriminatory, and wholly unsustainable beyond the short term.

[Sam]

can someone tell me if im right or not.

 

is the 37 rule but work 34 not part of somepay settelments of the past? instead of giving pay rises the told staff to go home early?

[Neil R]

Neil R wrote

Most people would be a lot happier, and the council and businesses alike would be a lot more productive, if we worked LESS hours rather than more. People should have the right to leisure time instead of spending the majority of their waking hours slogging their guts out for their employer

 

Excuse me but which planet are you on?.........only time council workers spend the majority of their waking hours working is when they are getting lots of juicy overtime and I just do not accept that the expression "flogging their guts out" applies to council workers at any level.

 

Maybe not, the "slog" is a more general point, but I was responding to the suggestion that they should be made to work Saturday mornings as well. If council workers spend their days doing very little then it hardly makes sense to have them in for a 6th morning...

[moorit]

absolutely right Frankie.

 

All those who are quick to criticise the Council or its staff might want to consider for a moment the effect on the local economy (and dare I say it, some of their jobs)should the council drastically reduce spending and/or lay off a lot of staff.

Shetland would soon be back to the days of the late 60's when population was at 17,500, young folk who could left Shetland and the rest survived on fishin, croftin and knittin

 

 

A fair days pay for a fair days work done is all that anyone is putting on the table as far as I can see, ...

 

I used to work for SIC and I would say that the vast majority did work really hard and weren't overpaid for what they did.

Also they are not contracted to work only 34 hours and get paid for 37. That has been twisted to suit Council bashers.

[Brian]

What a load of envy, hatred of one's fellow human beings, rumour and ignorance! Phew.

 

Brian

[Para Handy]

Can anyone tell me if all council employees have been offered ~£1,000 one off payment plus an extra day holiday (but their union wants more) to work three additional hours a week they already get paid for but don't have to work, i.e. they work on average 35 hours but get their first three hours overtime paid whether they work it or not.

 

Most of the workers I met working for the council (digging ditches ect worked very hard) some should try it on winters day in sleet and snow. It was the managers who played cards on there computers and having no idea about health and safety that put lives at risk that was the problem

[Styumpie]

I think the economy here is far too reliant on council spending, Reality has faded away. When the global economy enters tough times in the near future, when the UK debt burden pushes us into an economic depression, sterling collapses and government money all but dries up, we might all be left up turd creek without a paddle. I think that instead of encouraging people into artificial created non-jobs in the council, islanders should be encouraged to become more entrepreneurial in order to boost the real economy. When the turd hits the fan we need to have some form of income generating produce to fall back on.

 

Our economy is not built to last, making the council more inefficient than it already is not going to help matters.

[Wheesht]

I think the economy here is far too reliant on council spending, Reality has faded away. When the global economy enters tough times in the near future, when the UK debt burden pushes us into an economic depression, sterling collapses and government money all but dries up, we might all be left up turd creek without a paddle. I think that instead of encouraging people into artificial created non-jobs in the council, islanders should be encouraged to become more entrepreneurial in order to boost the real economy. When the turd hits the fan we need to have some form of income generating produce to fall back on.

 

Our economy is not built to last, making the council more inefficient than it already is not going to help matters.

 

I agree with most of that. I don't buy the economic meltdown theory but certainly it is a very worrying matter that the council now have so much power throughout the isles simply through it's spending power. Not a good thing.

[Styumpie]

I don't buy the economic meltdown theory but certainly it is a very worrying matter that the council now have so much power throughout the isles simply through it's spending power. Not a good thing.

 

yeah it difficult to predict a downturn, but there are quite a few worrying signs beginning to emerge, its good to keep an open mind, hears a few interesting topics.

 

http://www.housepricecrash.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=40173

 

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=415067&in_page_id=2

 

http://news.independent.co.uk/business/analysis_and_features/article2076170.ece

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/12/15/cnboe15.xml

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/12/12/cnster12.xml

[Rasmie]

Why not work 3 hours on Saturday morning for that matter? Numerous other employers operate 5 1/2 day working weeks. Certainly there would be child care implications, but I would have thought child care woud be easier to source of a Saturday morning than say before 9 or after 5 on weekdays.

 

Besides child minders wanting their time off at weekends and parents wanting some time with their children - think of the cost to The council ( i.e. ourselves)of heating and lighting another 50 days per year plus the cost to the individual of travelling to work and extra 50 days per year.

 

As a council widow(er) I think that it generally untrue and simplistic to infer that council staff do not work. Many work extra. Of course there are probably some as in the private sector who do as little as possible. It is a general misconception that office bearers do nothing but push bits of paper around. Even the most efficient companies have paper pushers without whom the rest of the workforce would be unemployed.

I would think that most us benefit in some way from the employent and services proved either through direct or indirect council employment and through the highest standard of care that is provided for our old and needy.

The SIC is far from perfect however, but having a go at the staff is a stupid and pointless exercise. Bring up your concerns with your councillor or write to your MP, otherwise stand yourself in May

[sailor]

I think the economy here is far too reliant on council spending, Reality has faded away. When the global economy enters tough times in the near future, when the UK debt burden pushes us into an economic depression, sterling collapses and government money all but dries up, we might all be left up turd creek without a paddle. I think that instead of encouraging people into artificial created non-jobs in the council, islanders should be encouraged to become more entrepreneurial in order to boost the real economy. When the turd hits the fan we need to have some form of income generating produce to fall back on.

 

Our economy is not built to last, making the council more inefficient than it already is not going to help matters.

 

Good point. We should be looking outwith the SIC for stability.

[moorit]

I hear 75 % of SIC staff are getting a pay increase as a resultof single status !!