Fears for future of fitness classes due to pay cut

Protesters fear losing fitness classes at Withernsea Leisure Centre

Members of council-run leisure centres – including some referred by GPs – fear they could lose access to fitness classes because of pay cuts for instructors.

According to trainers, a plan by East Riding of Yorkshire Council to stop giving them a long-established top-up payment would result in a 40% drop in their pay packets.

Lesley Shakoor, who has a spinal cord injury, said attending classes on the advice of her GP had given her the strength to start walking again and losing them could "set me back".

A spokesperson for the council said it was listening to and working with staff to "find the best way forward" and there were "no plans to reduce instructor-led classes".

Instructor-led classes have helped Lesley Shakoor gain the strength to walk again

Ms Shakoor, 43, has been going to classes at Withernsea Leisure Centre for the past 18 months.

She said: "When I first came I wasn't walking and I wasn't able to do anything at all.

"I've had one-to-ones with an instructor and have joined the classes and it's enabled me to build strength in my legs and I'm able to walk with sticks now.

"That's a massive achievement for me because I was told that my life would be in my chair. I'm worried, because if these classes go, it's just going to set me back."

An instructor who spoke to the BBC said the top-up payments, known as "market supplements", had been in use for about 25 years and were designed to bring pay up to the market rate or to make the roles more appealing.

Losing the supplement meant the pay packet for her classes would drop from £23 an hour to £13 – a reduction of more than 40%.

Mandy Wood says she does not expect instructors to work for 40% less money

Mandy Wood, who attends classes at the Withernsea centre six times a week, said she expected instructors would leave and added: "We are all saddened by this because we know that we are going to lose our classes.

"A lot of instructors have already put in their letters of intent to no longer run classes and because of that a lot of members have already said they will no longer have a membership here."

Unison, the union, warned that the removal of market supplements for fitness instructors would create "significant challenges".

Regional organiser Dean Harper said a four-month extension had been agreed with the council in an attempt to find a solution, but this was "an inadequate time to address the disparities".

"Unison is urging the service to prioritise finding a solution to make sure all instructors are treated in a fair and consistent manner," he added.

Council 'optimistic'

Laura Case, the director of culture and customer services at the council, said the changes were not part of a cost-saving exercise, but had emerged from an "organisation-wide" pay review implemented in April 2024.

"All such changes were agreed through a collective agreement with Unison, GMB and Unite unions," she said.

"The local authority will continue to work closely with those affected to address any concerns."

The council said it was "optimistic about reaching a positive outcome".

"Until then, the current pay structure will remain in place," a spokesperson said. "We cannot comment further as this is an ongoing staffing matter.

"However, we would like to reassure everyone that there are no plans to reduce the number of instructors or instructor-led classes at our venues."

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