LABOUR Councillor Burke either did not understand what he was voting for, or is deliberately making mischief, when he accuses us (Letters, August 25) of voting at a recent council meeting against a new pay structure for the council’s staff.

The vote he refers to wasn’t about the merit or otherwise of the new pay structure – the Labour Group was actually voting to arm itself with the power to “implement the changes to terms and conditions through the dismissal and re-engagement of affected staff” in the event of staff rejecting the new pay structure in the democratic ballot organised by their trades unions.

The last time this arbitrary power was deployed by the council was in 2010/11 when the previous Conservative administration used it to try to force through a cut in staff pay.

For Labour councillors to vote to give themselves such powers is shameful and it was that we voted against.

Councillor Burke says the Labour Group wanted the full backing of the whole council, but then forgets to mention that only Labour councillors put their hands up in support of the proposal.

He is, however, correct in saying that we two Coxford councillors do “continually go on about the cuts that are being made”, and we do not apologise for that.

We can assure Councillor Burke that we will continue to register our objections every time he and his Labour colleagues vote, without a whimper of protest, to do the Government’s dirty work by slashing hundreds of jobs and closing down, privatising and outsourcing services.

INDEPENDENT COUNCILLORS KEITH MORRELL AND DON THOMAS, COXFORD WARD, Southampton City Council.