Union leaders see their pay soar

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/p ... 736206.ece" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

TRADE union leaders have received increases in their pay packages of up to 20%, despite many of their members having their wages frozen or even cut.

The union “fat cats” include those whose members are causing serious disruption to the public over the summer through a series of strikes.

The biggest winner is Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Unite, Britain’s biggest trade union with 2m members. His pay and benefits package increased by 20% from £88,359 to £105,761 last year, according to official accounts.

The revelation comes as Unite members who work as cabin crew at British Airways (BA) are threatening industrial action over proposed job cuts and a pay freeze.

Woodley’s salary alone rose by 10% to £93,815 between 2007 and 2008, compared with a public sector average of 2.8%.

He also received a £6,603 benefit from a cut-price union loan towards a maisonette he and Unite are buying in south London and £5,343 in car fuel benefit.

Documents filed with the trade union certification office, a regulatory body, reveal that Derek Simpson, 64, Unite’s other joint general secretary, received a salary of £97,027, up 4% on the previous year, housing benefit of £38,340 and £24,480 toward his chauffeur-driven car.

Woodley said: “I’ve got nothing to hide.” Unite said his pay was disproportionately boosted in 2008 by a £3,000 one-off payment, as well as a change in accounting rules.

Last week Bob Crow, the militant leader of the RMT rail union whose pay and benefits rose by 8% to £91,646 in 2008, was out on the picket line at Liverpool Street station in London as his members staged a 48-hour strike in a dispute over pay.

Crow said: “I don’t really know if my pay rise was inflation busting.”

While cabin crew at BA may be moving towards a strike, pilots have agreed to take a 2.6% pay cut to help to bail out the troubled airline. Yet Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots Association had a pay increase of 8% to £109,007 last year.

He said: “It was a special occasion. I received a pay rise on the culmination of a five-year contract. I would also like to think it was because I do a good job.”

Billy Hayes, leader of the 260,000-member Communication Workers Union, which carried out four postal strikes in London last month, had a 5% pay rise to £88,438.

The union declined to comment.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I had to think a while before posting this story but the timing is makeing me think.

A planted story to try and weaken the strikes. If so who planted it Labour

It may be a true story and I tend to believe it is, but £88,000 barely compares to the £3,000,000 Crozier got a few years ago. Still I'd like to have that wage.

[lover]

are you saying you think hes worth 1700 pounds a WEEK.thats before any of the other expenses.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

are you saying you think hes worth 1700 pounds a WEEK.thats before any of the other expenses.

No - but then I am not saying the opposite either - I was comparing it with Croziers

[stokes11eg]

Well, if it's true,,shame.How socialist is that? And we are paying him via our subs?

[mailsort6]

This article is printed just to annoy union members, I think the union leaders do derserve the salaies they get and I'll tell you one thing I would not like the general secretary and deputy general secretary positions there is alot of work involved. I would say that these union leaders spend alot of time away from their families just to sort union members problems out. I have seen Area Reps, branch secretaries, etc in my office that have been called into work short notice to sort serious issues out when they have finished work for the day, could you do this?

[DGP1]

Leave Billy alone, those pies aren't cheap you know

[stokes11eg]

This article is printed just to annoy union members, I think the union leaders do derserve the salaies they get and I'll tell you one thing I would not like the general secretary and deputy general secretary positions there is alot of work involved. I would say that these union leaders spend alot of time away from their families just to sort union members problems out. I have seen Area Reps, branch secretaries, etc in my office that have been called into work short notice to sort serious issues out when they have finished work for the day, could you do this?

\Sorry if I sound a wee bit sceptical(sp) here, if you take on this kind of job you should expect the hasstle that goes with it, but if you read this board you are bound to be aware that A heck of a lot of folks do not feel that 'They sort out
union members problems out'.and although I do not believe everything the press says, if they get anywhere near that sort of Salary.they are no better than the "Fat Cats' that they often take issue with.you could maybe accept a pay of 35-40 thousand, but not 88,and of course, like politicians, they no doubt increase'their 'basic' pay with expenses.

[mailsort6]

This article is printed just to annoy union members, I think the union leaders do derserve the salaies they get and I'll tell you one thing I would not like the general secretary and deputy general secretary positions there is alot of work involved. I would say that these union leaders spend alot of time away from their families just to sort union members problems out. I have seen Area Reps, branch secretaries, etc in my office that have been called into work short notice to sort serious issues out when they have finished work for the day, could you do this?

\Sorry if I sound a wee bit sceptical(sp) here, if you take on this kind of job you should expect the hasstle that goes with it, but if you read this board you are bound to be aware that A heck of a lot of folks do not feel that 'They sort out
union members problems out'.and although I do not believe everything the press says, if they get anywhere near that sort of Salary.they are no better than the "Fat Cats' that they often take issue with.you could maybe accept a pay of 35-40 thousand, but not 88,and of course, like politicians, they no doubt increase'their 'basic' pay with expenses.

The reason I was told that these union leaders get paid a large salary and pension is because if they are not re-elected by their members, then they have no job to return to like area reps, branch secretaries. They do get paid alot, therefore, when drafting agreements, etc they should not make mistakes. I know that alot of members are not happy at times with the union leaders, officals and reps that we have, more employees need to come forward and be nominated for these positions.

[andy2007]

The sooner the pay of those Employed directly by the CWU (including Billy), was directly linked to our own, the better. In other words: If we get a 1% pay rise, so does he. If we get a pay freeze, so does he. That'd be an incentive for him, wouldn't it!

[dvbuk55]

Leave Billy alone, those pies aren't cheap you know

I had thought of e mailing him just to ask what his preference in pies was, pork, beef, scotch (which I must admit I haven't the faintest whats in them), beef and ale, chicken, chicken and mushroom, vegetable -the list must be endless - but I had a feeling the answer would be it didn't matter as long as someone else was paying.

[andy2007]

Popular chap isn't he!

[kay_thebigbird]

It's not just about BHayes getting £88,000 per year he is not the cwu alone what about all the local branch sectretary's,local divisional reps, local delivery reps etc,etc, they all work bloody hard & are only paid a postman's wage & they don't get the opportunity to work overtime & they will get pay stopped during strikes, & I am sorry but as been said by others compared to RM bosses wages, no contest.In my eyes they are worth every penny, working for RM with no union.NO CHANCE I would rather be on the dole.

[andy2007]

It's not just about BHayes getting £88,000 per year he is not the cwu alone what about all the local branch sectretary's,local divisional reps, local delivery reps etc,etc, they all work bloody hard & are only paid a postman's wage & they don't get the opportunity to work overtime & they will get pay stopped during strikes, & I am sorry but as been said by others compared to RM bosses wages, no contest.In my eyes they are worth every penny, working for RM with no union.NO CHANCE I would rather be on the dole.

I've a great deal of respect for the local and Area Reps. Particularly in my area. But I believe that the reason that HQ IMHO are so far out of touch with us. Is that they don't loose any money when we Strike, they earn far more than we could, even before the restrictions on overtime (I used to know a couple of people who did over 40 hours overtime (80 hours total), virtually every week in the '90's), and haven't done an RM Duty for years. So they have little concept of what life's really like for us.

Having said all that: Just because there are some Fat Cats "at the top". It doesn't alter the fact, that there are many, many, more Reps at Local and Area level. Who do a tremendous amount for us, and don't reap much, if any, financial reward. I have the utmost respect for them, and get really p****d off, when people tar them all with the same brush, when things go wrong!

[Captain Scarlet]

Leave Billy alone, those pies aren't cheap you know

I had thought of e mailing him just to ask what his preference in pies was, pork, beef, scotch (which I must admit I haven't the faintest whats in them), beef and ale, chicken, chicken and mushroom, vegetable -the list must be endless - but I had a feeling the answer would be it didn't matter as long as someone else was paying.

Scotch pies have little scotsmen inside them!!!!!!!! no really just minced beef and lots of fat and grease........ lovely!