A UNION has raised concerns staff at Southend Council are not being paid properly.

The union Unison is calling for employees of Southend Council to get in touch over holiday pay concerns.

It is claimed staff are being left with less when they take legally entitled holiday.

Workers should receive the same pay while they are on annual leave as they normally receive while at work – meaning any regular overtime, shift premiums or anti-social hours payments should be included in holiday pay as well.

UNISON area organiser John Lawrence said: “Many employers are not aware of the rules around holiday pay and we are looking into how many workers are affected by this.

“We need to hear from as many staff members that work regular paid overtime at Southend Council as possible so that we can raise it with the employer, who we are already working with to get this issue resolved.

“Any council staff – whether they’re in Unison or not – that do regular overtime can complete our online survey so that we can assess any claims and get them the pay they are entitled to.

“Please speak to your colleagues and ask them to fill in the survey if you think they could be affected.”

Opposition Labour leader Ian Gilbert said: “Clearly it is a cause for concern that this is an issue being looked at.

“I wouldn’t like to say too much at the moment until the investigation by Unison has been completed.

“But what I can say is that the council should be at all times setting an example as an ethical employer especially given the fact this is taxpayers’ money.”

Southend Council has said it is working with the union on the issues raised.

A spokesman said: “We are happy to work with Unison with regard to any individual cases and we would ensure these are dealt with in line with our policies and employment law.

“It would be inappropriate to comment further during the ongoing discussions.”

The online questionnaire for those affected, which will take no more than ten minutes, can be completed at http://sgiz.eu/s3/Southend-On-Sea-holiday-pay-claims.