They are severe and there are a whole heap more job cuts on the horizon early next year - we at least have to find £20 million more to cut next year and the same the year after
We have had no pay rises for 3 years and the performance management stuff has also effectively been frozen so no bonuses for staff that truly do deserve them. Any possible benefit packages have been removed.
Although we have lost a huge number of staff the workload has not diminshed and many services have carried on delivering the same for less - which perhaps some areas had a bit of 'slack' to do this but not many I can assure you. There is not often a week goes by where I have not done a 45 hour week for a contracted 36 hours . Overtime is also completely out the question - so this is unpaid.
Jobs have changed without a change of JD's or salary reviews. The view is essentially you are lucky to have a job if you don't like it leave - and that would be the same for most companies nowadays. The unions are fairly weak at the moment as people realistically cannot afford to go on strike and so apart from work to rule options are limited.
There is a hell of a lot of good will, loyalty and hard bloody work being done by people without recognition and I do genuinely believe that this needs to be acknowledged. But I don't believe an 'awards ' is the right way to do it.
Put that money together ( £5k in total) and do something to improve the building for all ( which is in a really poor state) or something similar.