$50k pay rise for Hamilton Council CEO "deeply unfair" - PSA

PSA members at Hamilton City Council are disappointed by the fat pay rise announced for their CEO - and are calling for bosses to pay all council workers the market rate.

Council chief executive Richard Briggs has been in the job less than two years, but Mayor Julie Hardaker says a pay rise from $330,000 to $380,000 reflects his "excellent" performance.

PSA organiser Daryl Gatenby says this is tough for council staff to swallow, because many are paid below the market rate for their jobs.

"Hamilton Council appears willing to meet the market for CEO pay, but not for any other council workers," Mr Gatenby says.

"For two years running, Council has claimed there’s not enough money to pay staff the market rate, but they can whistle up an extra $50,000 for Mr Briggs with no trouble.

"This is deeply unfair, because it would only cost around $400,000 in total to pay staff what they’re worth.

"Every single day workers across Hamilton Council are doing an excellent job.

"They pick up the phone when things go wrong, take care of our kids at the swimming pool, run the library and the museum.

"They’re working flat out to make our city a great place to live, delivering crucial services across the city.

"We call on the council to immediately release funds to pay hard-working staff what they’re worth."

ENDS

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