TENSIONS are running so high inside Dorset County Council after a move to hike the wages of senior employees that workers have taken to an internal messaging system to voice their 'disbelief.'

So many workers have posted their outrage at the plan that chief executive Debbie Ward has gone online to defend it.

Posts, seen by the Echo, have been written by employees in several sectors of the council, from education to housing.

It is also understood that the unions- who staged a protest outside County Hall yesterday- were not consulted over the proposal and first heard about it when contacted by the Echo.

On the SharePoint forum, one employee wrote: "Like everyone else I am truly shocked with this proposal. This is completely insensitive to services and individuals like me [...]

"These pay increases would have sustained my steam, a team that brought in over £60 million pounds for local community, young and old, disabled and the most vulnerable. But no! what I do is supposedly not needed just nice to have as council cannot afford £40K for my whole team which is less than half the cost of a head of service. I know what the many hundreds of thousands of people my work has impacted on would say.

"I am sure many other colleagues and services have the same stories and can make their own cases to continue their essential services. Like many other colleagues facing an uncertain future trying our best to re-skill and find a new career to look after our families, I hope this proposal is halted and the council considers its employees views, and uses any new resources to sustain experienced and skilled staff and services."

Another said: "Whether the pay increases are justified or not the timing and insensitivity of this proposal against sustained cuts to the services people receive from DCC is appalling."

When first put forward to Staffing Committee, the report, entitled 'Senior Roles' was exempt from public view.

Heads of service are currently paid between £63,348 and £79,714 per year. The new pay structure would mean heads of service are paid a chief officer salary of £80,500 to £85,000 (Band 4) or £86,500 to £91,000 (Band 3).

Last week, the Dorset Echo revealed that if all 15 heads of service are given the pay rise to the lowest end of Band 4, the annual cost would be £61,443.62.

Under the proposals, six heads of service would be eligible for a band three and nine would be eligible for band four.

Yesterday, council leader Robert Gould suggested sending the proposal back to Staffing Committee (see separate panel).

This means that further work will need to be done and discussed in May before a decision is made.

But in the meantime, staff are voicing their anger directly to those in charge.

One said: "I am very shocked and disheartened by this. Everyone has had their job role changed and taken on more responsibility for no extra pay. In February we were sent a letter by Debbie Ward and Robert Gould stating how financially tough things were. This is an extract: [...] 'I am sure in your team you can come up with great ways to cut your spending – every penny counts, so please do so. The plans for our building investment to reduce our need for accommodation can now continue and we will continue to invest in service transformation.

'Our commitment remains to work for a Strong and Successful Dorset. Tackling this latest challenge does not alter this. With your support and commitment we will continue to move Forward Together.'

"How can we even be thinking of pay rises when receiving information as above? and only for one level of staff group? This doesn't sound like forward together to me."

Addressing the comments made on SharePoint, Debbie Ward wrote: "I fully understand the strength of reaction from you all and know this will be difficult to read. Changes of this nature should be known about by us all, which is why the information is being made fully available to you. Any decision of this kind cannot be made lightly and members will consider this on Thursday. If agreed at County Council, it will involve new terms and conditions, as well as a new pay structure. The new contract reflects the expectations of these roles, which have changed significantly in recent years, and we believe the proposal reflects the breadth of responsibility that this small group of staff now has. SharePoint gives you the chance to put across your views and I can assure you that I'm reading every one of your comments. We will do our best to answer any specific questions raised, and clarify our reasons behind the proposals."

In a statement released this morning by the county council, chief executive Debbie Ward said: "There were discussions with the unions about the issue before the proposal was put forward. We also put the information on our intranet before the Echo picked up the story.

"Our intranet allows us to keep staff informed about what is happening across the council. More importantly, it also gives them the chance to comment, ask questions and have their say on a wide variety of issues. While it is fair to say that more than 100 staff commented on our post about the proposal, the intranet certainly was not ‘hijacked’. It is designed to give staff a voice and they used the channel that was available to them."

AS protesters waved banners on the steps of County Hall yesterday, councillors inside decided not to vote on the controversial pay rise proposal. 
Members of full council referred the report back to the staffing committee, as suggested by council leader Robert Gould, with one saying they were "surprised" the report had even been brought before them.
Cllr Frederick Drane said: "I am surprised that we have even got to this position, as it must have been recognised that this was going to be a very sensitive topic. 
"There are a lot of answers we need to know."
Leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Cllr Janet Dover, said: "I am very pleased that the leader has suggested this referral because of the level of concern about how this has evolved."
Cllr Trevor Jones said: "It is a very touchy area and I wonder if the leader would be willing to involve different advisers.
"Rather than just deferring it back to the staffing committee, it might be appropriate to think about whether fresh eyes should look at it."
In response to Cllr Jones' comment, Cllr Gould said he was "a little wary of committing to a specific course of action" at this time, but was open to involving other committees in the process.
Speaking about the protest, Amanda Brown, branch secretary for Unison, said: "A lot of people are very angry about these proposals. I have never seen anything like this before.
"We hope we can change elected members' minds, who are the decision makers on this.
"Decisions have been made and we are not sure on what basis."