Trade unionists are threatening to take Birmingham City Council to court over the row about council employee wages.

Amicus accused the council of leaking inaccurate information about its staff for political reasons and has demanded an inquiry into the source of the leak and a joint statement to "set the record straight".

The union has threatened legal action if its demands are not met, but the council has refused, arguing that the statement itself would reveal personal information about its employees.

It has, however, ordered an investigation into the source of the leak.

The latest twist in the wages scandal rocking Birmingham City Council came after The Birmingham Post revealed Ian Smith, a street and traffic light engineer, enjoyed a basic salary of #71,000 and annual bonuses and overtime amounting to #20,000, despite being off work for a year.

The figures came from leaked council wage sheets which detail wages and bonuses for scores of workers in the highways department.

For several years Mr Smith has been the full time Amicus union representative at the Street Lighting Direct Labour Organisation, which means he was effectively paid by the council to a be a union rep.

The Post then revealed that a second highly-paid worker at the street lighting depot, earning nearly #60,000, is also a union official.

John Poole is also officially employed as a street light and traffic light repairer, but all his time has been spent on union business since Mr Smith went on sick leave a year ago.

The revelations led to a public backlash, with Mr Smith's wife Denise saying the couple had been verbally abused, and the official Birmingham City Council logo being stripped from scores of city lorries and vans after workers claimed they were being exposed to public contempt and ridicule.

Amicus last night claimed someone had leaked information about the two men for political reasons. The union said it "strongly suspects" that they were singled out for their role in a successful campaign to keep Birmingham public works under public control.

Private firms were persuaded to give up bids for a #13 million three-year contract to look after Birmingham's street lights seven years ago.

Amicus said information about the two men had been "leaked and misrepresented" and revealed it had asked the council to sign a joint statement to set the record straight.

In a statement, Amicus said: "The union is considering bringing a claim against the council for victimisation of union representatives for carrying out their trade union activities, on behalf of the two Amicus representatives."

Last night Birmingham City Council said it "deplored" the publication of information concerning individual staff.

Councillor Alan Rudge, cabinet member for human resources and equalities, has ordered an immediate investigation into how confidential information was leaked.

He said: "We are attempting to introduce a pay structure which rewards people fully and appropriately, and dispenses with all outmoded and inequitable practices of the past.

"The city council is in consultation with the trade unions on how this can be achieved.

John Allot, Amicus' national officer for local authorities, said: "It doesn't take a bright spark to figure out that there is someone out there with an agenda.

"It is no secret that our members who've been attacked in the press have been at the forefront of the campaign to keep Birmingham City councils' electrical engineering out of the private sector."

He added: "The rates of pay for electricians working in the public sector are directly comparable to the rates of pay in the private sector."

Gail Cartmail, the union's assistant general secretary, said: "This is an attack on the whole of the public sector. The Government are rushing headlong into privatisation. The stakes are high and innocent people are being hurt as a result."

WAGES ROW
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