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Traffic light fitter earns £90k a year
Traffic Signal Bulb Replacement (TSBR) Officer is paid £90,000 a year, in Birmingham
A row has erupted after it came to light that a council worker whose main job was to change traffic signal bulbs was being paid over 90,000 pounds (170,000 dollars, 135,000 euros) a year.
Worse, he has been off work ill and was still being paid, reports said Wednesday.
Ian Smith is a street and traffic light engineer for Birmingham City Council, who reportedly gets a basic salary of 71,000 pounds plus annual bonuses amounting to 20,000 pounds.
His generous salary terms -- which include 15,000 pounds for being on standby -- were in the spotlight after payroll documents were leaked to the Daily Mirror newspaper, which splashed the story with the headling "You Watt?"
The annual pay package for Smith -- who is also a long-standing union official -- makes him better paid than Birmingham Council leader Mike Whitby, who earns 67,000 pounds a year, the tabloid pointed out.
Alan Rudge, the official on the English Midlands city's council responsible for pay reviews, said he would clamp down on such cases when they were revealed.
"This is a throwback to employment practice which is outdated and we cannot just stand still," he said in a statement.
Christine Melsom of the Is It Fair? campaign group, which wants to scrap the current council tax system of funding local authorities, voiced concern that the problem is widespread.
"I really think this is probably just the tip of the iceberg. How many more are there in other councils across the country?"
Smith was not available for comment Wednesday, despite widespread press coverage of the story.
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