Axed Nhs Executives Get Salary Protection For 10 Years

[The Masked Tulip]

Think about this when you are fearing about your own job in the coming years.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/08/02/axed-nhs-executives-get-salary-protection-for-10-years-91466-26977566/

SENIOR NHS executives who failed to win top jobs in Wales’ new health boards will have their six-figure salaries protected for up to 10 years, it emerged today.

Under the organisational change policy, negotiated with trade unions, more than 120 former NHS directors and managers have been redeployed elsewhere in the health service and the Welsh Assembly Government.

And they will have their salaries – which could be as high as £195,000 a year – protected for years.

Those directors who have 15 years of service in the NHS will continue to be paid their old salary, plus benefits, for 10 years, according to information obtained by Plaid Cymru.

The revelation comes as the NHS in Wales is facing the prospect of making unprecedented savings of £1.9bn over the next five years as public sector funding is slashed.

And it follows the news last week that rank-and-file NHS staff in one of Wales’ largest organisations have had a cap put on overtime payments in a bid to save money.

At least three of Wales’ seven health boards are introducing bans on agency and locum staff, while others are carrying out reviews of hospital services which could result in cuts.

Chris Franks, AM for South Wales Central, said: “In these very difficult times in terms of the public finances, it is impossible to justify that top executives on salaries of £50,000 or more should have their pay protected for 10 years.

“This can’t be allowed to happen again.

It should not have happened in the first place.

[SarahBell]

Someone somewhere needs a slap.

[Selling up]

I have a couple of friends working for East Lancashire PCT. One (senior manager) has been made redundant and the other is probably about to.

I was commiserating with them when the ex-senior manager revealed that their pay was protected for 5 years.

So as of today the ex-senior manager is doing nothing while drawing her salary. The PCT will now try to find a more junior post for her to fill, at the same salary she was earning previously.

It makes the GP contract look positively sensible!

Edit: So it isn't only in Wales!

Edited August 2, 2010 by Selling up

[topliner]

Shameful! Shouldn't have been agreed at the outset, no wonder the country are in trouble making agreements like that!

topliner

[Lucifer]

Think about this when you are fearing about your own job in the coming years.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/08/02/axed-nhs-executives-get-salary-protection-for-10-years-91466-26977566/

It should not have happened in the first place.

So, as I thought, the austerity programme will be "one cut for them, another cut for the rest of us" as financial savings are made by cutting jobs and salaries of low paid public servants and, mosty particularly, by cutting levels of service delivery and raisng taxes

In other words the cuts are going to totally f@ck those at that the bottom of the pile, the pigs will be left their capacious and greedy snouts firmly entrenched in the trough which shall remain liberally filled with public money.

On the other hand, today should see good profit figures from the banks, good on them, but I'm sure I could make a profit too if I had the opportunity to lend money from the BOE at 0.5% interest and then lend it back to them at 1.5%

I'm sure they'll be some great bank bonuses paid out this year...and I'm sure that the 2.75 billion windfall that Osborne said he "might" apply to bank profits will suddenly become undesirable.

In their breath-taking arrogance the politicians and the bankers (same thing nowadays, sadly) are remaking the world in the image they want it to be, making what will be huge changes in ordinary peoples lives, imposing cuts that will impoverish them, all in the name of saving the economy...yet they themselves will not bear any of the pain: there is no social justice in this, it will not end happily:we will end up indebted wage slaves, working for a pittance, paying a fortune for our tatty rented property, with our children going to god awful state schools where they learn only the basics of reading and writing...a decimated middle class and a ravaged working class living in a miserable society with little social provision. Oh we'll be just like China then...

The other option, and its the one for which I pray but hold out little hope for, is that the general populace becomes so appalled at the lack of social justice being applied to the austerity programme that at some point they stand up and say "enough" and start holding politicians to account and stringing bankers up from lamp posts.

[Georgia O'Keeffe]

So, as I thought, the austerity programme will be "one cut for them, another cut for the rest of us" as financial savings are made by cutting jobs and salaries of low paid public servants and, mosty particularly, by cutting levels of service delivery and raisng taxes

In other words the cuts are going to totally f@ck those at that the bottom of the pile, the pigs will be left their capacious and greedy snouts firmly entrenched in the trough which shall remain liberally filled with public money.

On the other hand, today should see good profit figures from the banks, good on them, but I'm sure I could make a profit too if I had the opportunity to lend money from the BOE at 0.5% interest and then lend it back to them at 1.5%

I'm sure they'll be some great bank bonuses paid out this year...and I'm sure that the 2.75 billion windfall that Osborne said he "might" apply to bank profits will suddenly become undesirable.

In their breath-taking arrogance the politicians and the bankers (same thing nowadays, sadly) are remaking the world in the image they want it to be, making what will be huge changes in ordinary peoples lives, imposing cuts that will impoverish them, all in the name of saving the economy...yet they themselves will not bear any of the pain: there is no social justice in this, it will not end happily:we will end up indebted wage slaves, working for a pittance, paying a fortune for our tatty rented property, with our children going to god awful state schools where they learn only the basics of reading and writing...a decimated middle class and a ravaged working class living in a miserable society with little social provision. Oh we'll be just like China then...

The other option, and its the one for which I pray but hold out little hope for, is that the general populace becomes so appalled at the lack of social justice being applied to the austerity programme that at some point they stand up and say "enough" and start holding politicians to account and stringing bankers up from lamp posts.

Peak fraud, peak corruption, peak troughing, peak debt, the ingredients are perfect and necessary for economic collapse of some degree and the UK along with most other western countries has them

The populace will cotton on as soon as they realise there is no recovery only regression at that point you'll have the rioting and social carnage, at the moment people still buy the recovery and see the cuts as neccesary to recover without to much pain, it will no doubt be something completely insignificant that actually sets it all off

Edited August 2, 2010 by Tamara De Lempicka

[Lucifer]

Peak fraud, peak corruption, peak troughing, peak debt, the ingredients are perfect and necessary for economic collapse of some degree and the UK along with most other western countries has them

The populace will cotton on as soon as they realise there is no recovery only regression at that point you'll have the rioting and social carnage, at the moment people still buy the recovery and see the cuts as neccesary to recover without to much pain, it will no doubt be something completely insignificant that actually sets it all off

Correct, and a nice way of putting it!!

[aa3]

So, as I thought, the austerity programme will be "one cut for them, another cut for the rest of us" as financial savings are made by cutting jobs and salaries of low paid public servants and, mosty particularly, by cutting levels of service delivery and raisng taxes

In other words the cuts are going to totally f@ck those at that the bottom of the pile, the pigs will be left their capacious and greedy snouts firmly entrenched in the trough which shall remain liberally filled with public money.

Yep this is Britain. If they are talking about 10% cuts in spending.. it will mean the lowest 25% gets fired, while the top people get generous salary increases and bonuses.

We won't be like the nations which did across the board cuts. A 10% across the board cut would be fair, and instead of a few people(the ones at the bottom) taking all the pain, everyone would take a little pain. Even that director on £167,000 a year, would be reduced to a mere £150,000 a year.

Heck to really do it fairly I would say no cuts for anyone under £30,000 a year, and 20% cuts for everyone who makes more than that on every pound they make over 30k. With a 20% reduction in compensation for all contractors, including doctors, lawyers, accountants, consultants etc..

Edited August 2, 2010 by aa3

[Lucifer]

Yep this is Britain. If they are talking about 10% cuts in spending.. it will mean the lowest 25% gets fired, while the top people get generous salary increases and bonuses.

We won't be like the nations which did across the board cuts. A 10% across the board cut would be fair, and instead of a few people(the ones at the bottom) taking all the pain, everyone would take a little pain. Even that director on £167,000 a year, would be reduced to a mere £150,000 a year.

Heck to really do it fairly I would say no cuts for anyone under £30,000 a year, and 20% cuts for everyone who makes more than that on every pound they make over 30k. With a 20% reduction in compensation for all contractors, including doctors, lawyers, accountants, consultants etc..

Careful there, to me the above makes excellent sense, but many here would say that your proposal has a whiff of socialism about it!

[Guest absolutezero]

Careful there, to me the above makes excellent sense, but many here would say that your proposal has a whiff of socialism about it!

Indeed!

Burn him!

[maxdiver]

This salary protection is disgusting.

It makes me so mad that there are people really milking the system - it's a disgrace and I'm ashamed to live in the UK.

In Ireland, they did the sensible thing and cut all pay for those earning more than 20,000 Euro (I think) and it was at a higher rate for the higher earners. What do we have here?

Other contries like Lativa had to brace really tough times and their PM/President took a huge pay cut.

It's a largely symbolic act - (Like getting rid of fruit bowls in BP's offices to demonstrate how keen they are on cutting costs - or my work asking for a £5 donation to the Christmas party ) but you don't see MPs voting in a 20% pay-cut for themselves.

I can't believe getting paid £100k+ not to work for 10 years if you lose your job.

Clearly, this is unsustainable and someone with some balls (or handbag) should crush these gombeens!

[gus]

So, as I thought, the austerity programme will be "one cut for them, another cut for the rest of us" as financial savings are made by cutting jobs and salaries of low paid public servants and, mosty particularly, by cutting levels of service delivery and raisng taxes

In other words the cuts are going to totally f@ck those at that the bottom of the pile, the pigs will be left their capacious and greedy snouts firmly entrenched in the trough which shall remain liberally filled with public money.

On the other hand, today should see good profit figures from the banks, good on them, but I'm sure I could make a profit too if I had the opportunity to lend money from the BOE at 0.5% interest and then lend it back to them at 1.5%

I'm sure they'll be some great bank bonuses paid out this year...and I'm sure that the 2.75 billion windfall that Osborne said he "might" apply to bank profits will suddenly become undesirable.

In their breath-taking arrogance the politicians and the bankers (same thing nowadays, sadly) are remaking the world in the image they want it to be, making what will be huge changes in ordinary peoples lives, imposing cuts that will impoverish them, all in the name of saving the economy...yet they themselves will not bear any of the pain: there is no social justice in this, it will not end happily:we will end up indebted wage slaves, working for a pittance, paying a fortune for our tatty rented property, with our children going to god awful state schools where they learn only the basics of reading and writing...a decimated middle class and a ravaged working class living in a miserable society with little social provision. Oh we'll be just like China then...

The other option, and its the one for which I pray but hold out little hope for, is that the general populace becomes so appalled at the lack of social justice being applied to the austerity programme that at some point they stand up and say "enough" and start holding politicians to account and stringing bankers up from lamp posts.

That's one good post, to be sure.

[NotMyHouse]

And if there are no suitable jobs, do they just sit around for 10 years on the same salaries?

With pay rises? Pension accumulation?

Absolutely appalling.

[EUBanana]

Public sector fatcattery has been going on for years. It should hardly be a surprise. Any bureaucracy has its nomenklatura, and these swine are ours.

[Si1]

And if there are no suitable jobs, do they just sit around for 10 years on the same salaries?

With pay rises? Pension accumulation?

Absolutely appalling.

and you can bet they are the most sanctimonious do-gooding better-than-thou gobsh*tes to have ever walked the earth

[Si1]

I have a couple of friends working for East Lancashire PCT. One (senior manager) has been made redundant and the other is probably about to.

I was commiserating with them when the ex-senior manager revealed that their pay was protected for 5 years.

So as of today the ex-senior manager is doing nothing while drawing her salary. The PCT will now try to find a more junior post for her to fill, at the same salary she was earning previously.

It makes the GP contract look positively sensible!

Edit: So it isn't only in Wales!

yep - friend of a friend, post office in Yorkshire, 35k management job - has been on fully paid leave for the last 18 months as they haven't a job for him. nice.

edit: you just KNOW Osborne's every intention is to let inflation rip (in a hidden way) to wipe these salaries out over time whiklst the stupid unions realise all too late and can't do much about it. And even more importantly destroy the pensions. It is a shame on the REAL front line public sect workers who will also lose out, as it is such a broad assault.

Edited August 2, 2010 by Si1

[Saver]

yep - friend of a friend, post office in Yorkshire, 35k management job - has been on fully paid leave for the last 18 months as they haven't a job for him. nice.

Meanwhile guy in my office who works really hard and generally is a good asset to our group is being let go due cuts in funding.

I understand we cannot go on with the debt we have, but its just outrageous we let people doing actual work go whilst the f***ing managers in the public sector get deals like this. Why can the government not step in and say ENOUGH and sack these people to protect those doing actual work?

[Tired of Waiting]

Think about this when you are fearing about your own job in the coming years.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/08/02/axed-nhs-executives-get-salary-protection-for-10-years-91466-26977566/

It should not have happened in the first place.

Scandalous. Shameful.

At first I though this newspaper was exaggerating it. But then the Assembly confirmed it!

Seven NHS trusts and 22 local health boards were abolished in October 2009 and seven new integrated health boards created to provide community, hospital and mental health services across Wales.

As a result of this reorganisation – the biggest in a generation – the number of board-level posts fell from 180 to 78.

Salaries for these jobs in the 22 former local health boards ranged from £25,000 to more than £100,000 a year.

And in the former NHS trusts annual salaries ranged from £50,000 for the estates director at a smaller trust to £195,000 paid to the medical director at one of the larger trusts.

Information supplied by the Assembly Government to Mr Franks said: “Of the board level directors whose organisations were affected by the reform programme 122 are currently employed in the NHS in Wales or the Welsh Assembly Government, either because they obtained posts in the new LHBs through competition or because they are undertaking key roles within WAG.”

And asked about the pay protection arrangements agreed with trade unions, the Assembly Government replied: “Salary protection applies to any member of staff who, as a consequence of organisational change, incurs a detrimental change in salary.

“A member of staff would be entitled to full protection of their substantive salary with benefits of any national pay awards.

“The duration of any period of pay protection is dependant on the length of service of an individual. The maximum period of protection payable is 10 years, where an employee has 15 or more years of service.”

Jonathan Davies, head of policy and public affairs at the Welsh NHS Confederation, said: “NHS staff have always had a right to protected pay, depending on their length of service and age.

“NHS Wales has an organisational change policy, which sets out the current principles for supporting staff during NHS reforms, including the provisions for pay protection. These provisions apply to all staff in NHS Wales and not exclusively to the most senior managers.

And their only "defence" was like: "oh, it is not only the top executives that are on this gravy-train, the low paid is in it too." !!!

Very good criticism by this guy:

Matthew Elliot, chief executive of The Taxpayers Alliance, said: “With healthcare being under such a severe strain, people are going without life-saving drugs which could keep them alive. The key area that should be looked at for cutbacks is the top level salaries. Therefore it seems completely wrong to me that those people are having their salaries protected.

“Taxpayers give their money for a quality NHS and would much rather it go towards the salaries of front-line staff and drugs bills before it comes to the fat cats’ pay. I think it would be very sensible to have a review of these decisions because it just seems completely wrong.”

[Kurt Barlow]

Think about this when you are fearing about your own job in the coming years.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/08/02/axed-nhs-executives-get-salary-protection-for-10-years-91466-26977566/

It should not have happened in the first place.

Feckin scandal

Why do these runts get such a good deal. If they are redundant they are redundant. 15 years service = 15 weeks salary plus notice period (I would expect at that grade it is 3 months). If there role is not redundant then stay where they are. Downgrading to a more junior position and 10 years pay protection sounds like a winnah!

[Tired of Waiting]

I have a couple of friends working for East Lancashire PCT. One (senior manager) has been made redundant and the other is probably about to.

I was commiserating with them when the ex-senior manager revealed that their pay was protected for 5 years.

So as of today the ex-senior manager is doing nothing while drawing her salary. The PCT will now try to find a more junior post for her to fill, at the same salary she was earning previously.

It makes the GP contract look positively sensible!

Edit: So it isn't only in Wales!

That is crazy! Does the local media there know about it?! Can't you lobby them, pushing them into doing their job properly? Perhaps just an email, sent to many journalists there?

[EUBanana]

I understand we cannot go on with the debt we have, but its just outrageous we let people doing actual work go whilst the f***ing managers in the public sector get deals like this. Why can the government not step in and say ENOUGH and sack these people to protect those doing actual work?

I agree entirely. This is unbelievable. It's become a heist. A shakedown.

[Tired of Waiting]

Public sector fatcattery has been going on for years. It should hardly be a surprise. Any bureaucracy has its nomenklatura, and these swine are ours.

At least this crisis is having one little positive side-effect: shedding a little light on these robberies.

If only the main national media would pick it up (TV news, ITV - [no chance the BBc would do that]), and take it to the top. And then stay with it, follow it up, etc. Very little hope though.

It is a scandal.

[Tired of Waiting]

and you can bet they are the most sanctimonious do-gooding better-than-thou gobsh*tes to have ever walked the earth

Yep. I agree. I know what you mean. I've met some many.

[Tired of Waiting]

yep - friend of a friend, post office in Yorkshire, 35k management job - has been on fully paid leave for the last 18 months as they haven't a job for him. nice.

edit: you just KNOW Osborne's every intention is to let inflation rip (in a hidden way) to wipe these salaries out over time whiklst the stupid unions realise all too late and can't do much about it. And even more importantly destroy the pensions. It is a shame on the REAL front line public sect workers who will also lose out, as it is such a broad assault.

The Union bosses may know and understand more than they admit. I think they know more economics than they admit in public. They probably know that salary levels have to come down, but they can't explain that to their "bases". So, let's do it by stealth - real but not nominal.

[billybong]

It sounds like the news "emergers" are already starting to plant the news seeds for getting rid of the ConDem coalition.