Pay negotiations row rumbles on

A politician has thrown the ball firmly back into the union camp in the ongoing dispute over public sector pay.

Alf Cannan, chairman of the employers side of the Whitley Council, has re-stressed there’s no money available for pay rises and that the main focus is ensuring the public sector becomes more manageable.

It follows criticism from the negotiations officer for Prospect, Angela Moffatt, who told former solider Mr Cannan he was ‘not in the army’ any more.

Mr Cannan says unions have to recognise the reality and is calling for a sensible debate in a professional manner.