Reporting local life since 1854 40pFriday, January 20, 2012

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VISIT:MP ChrisGrayling.

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Vale’s Richards delaysankle surgery: Back Page

SP ORT

Minister hopesto help jobless

Entrepreneurin new TV roleBUSINESSMAN JohnCaudwell is putting £500,000 ofhis own money on the line tosupport would-be tycoons.

He is to star in a new TVshow where he putsentrepreneurs through theirpaces before deciding whetherto trust them with the cash.See Page 29

EMPLOYMENT ministerChris Grayling was due tovisit Stoke-on-Trent today.

The MP told The Sentinel heis coming to Hanley to get agrip on the challenges facingpeople looking for work here.

He said: “I’m going to talkto JobCentre Plus staff aboutthe economic situation andthe labour market situation.

“I hope that discussion willbe helpful to me in havingdiscussions with colleagues inGovernment about what wecan do to help the city.”

The Sentinel re portedye s t e rd ay the number ofpeople claiming Jobseeker’sAllowance in Stoke-on-Trenthad risen above 8,000 for thefirst time in eight months.

COUNCILWA L K O U TT H R E AT

Unions say strikes ‘cannot be ruled out’

BY ALEX CAMPBELLalex.campbell@thesentinel.co.uk

THOUSANDS of council staffface having mileage allow-ances and weekend paymentsslashed in a £2 million attackon pay and perks.

Stoke-on-Trent City Councilis targeting staff contracts aspart of £24 million cuts.

More than 4,500 Unisonmembers were called to twomeetings at Stoke civic centreyesterday to discuss the move.

Members of the Unite andGMB unions, which representa total of 1,100 workers, willmeet next week.

Sources today confirmed toThe Sentinel that industrialaction is being considered.

Plans by the authority, whichcut 700 jobs last year and willshed 358 in 2012/13, include:■ Forcing council workerswho currently have free park-ing spaces to pay for them;■ Scrapping time-and-a-halfpayments for working week-ends and unsociable hours;

■ Cutting mileage allowancesto 45p-per-mile.

Expenses to claim meals andcosts while travelling are alsounder threat.

Mileage allowance cuts wouldsee casual users driving carswith engines bigger than 1.2litres lose 20p every mile, whileessential users would lose 5.5p.

Bin men are also understoodto be furious at plans to cut£500,000 by forcing them toswitch from working Mondayto Friday to three-day weeksmade up of 12-hour shifts.

Unions say bin collectorswill have to work evenings andweekends without extrareward – and could lose £50-per-week in a job re-evaluation.

Public consultation on city-wide cuts finished last week,but staff have until February tore s p o n d .

A union source told The Sen-tinel: “Anybody who doesn’tride a moped is going to be hitby the mileage changes.

“Strikes cannot be ruledout.”

Unison officials are now col-lating members’ views beforedeciding their next move.

A Unison spokesman said:“Employees need to under-stand they will have to fight toretain their existing terms andconditions of employment.

“A message needs to be sentto the employer that memberssee this as a very seriousi s s u e. ”

The Sentinel revealed inAugust how council chief exec-utive John van de Laarschothad ordered a review of staffterms and conditions.

The authority needs to makethe savings from April thisye a r.

A council spokesman said:“We are in discussions withtrade unions regarding termsand conditions for staff and itwould be inappropriate for usto discuss the detail at thissta g e.”

Are you affected by theplanned cuts? Email us atletters@thesentinel.co.uk

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