New Contracts Shock For Council’s Social Care Staff
Council workers are being told they will lose their jobs if they do not sign a fresh contract. Employees in Bolton’s adult services are being offered new terms and conditions – but they mean the workers will not be paid if they are off sick or on holiday.
They will also no longer be paid for sleep-ins, where workers stay overnight with someone needing care, nor will they be paid a minimum shift payment for attending meetings. The changes are part of £11 million budget cuts being made by the council.
Letters were sent to the 381 staff who provide care support overnight for disabled or mentally ill people asking if they voluntarily agreed to these changes in their terms and conditions. Just 46 agreed.
The council is now writing to the remaining 335 members of staff who did not reply, or refused to accept the new conditions, terminating their current contracts. They will be offered immediate re-engagement, with a new contract that includes these two changes. The move is expected to save the council £250,000 a year.
Cllr Rosa Kay, executive member for adult social care and health, said: “This does not mean staff need lose their jobs as their current positions are still available to them, but with the changes included. The council accepts that staff are paid for what they actually do, but not when they are absent.
“When staff are absent, the council still has to cover the sleep-in and therefore ends up paying twice. We hope staff will understand the necessity of what we are doing. We have no option but to make these savings and we are doing the best to manage a demanding budget. Not to make what we consider to be reasonable changes would mean achieving the savings at the expense of services and jobs which the Council is anxious to avoid.”
Natalie Mills, spokesman for Unison, said: “This is very distressing for members to receive letters like this. It is sleep-in allowances this time, but what will be next? This is worrying for all members that the council can choose to vary these terms and conditions. There are a range of possibilities and we will be asking members what they want to do and will listen to their views which could include industrial action, but we are still prepared to talk with the council but we appear to have come to a standstill.”
Unison has organised meetings on July 2 at 5.30pm and July 5 at 12.30pm for all members to discuss the options. Staff will be given a statutory 90-days notice of the contract changes which will not come into effect until late September 2007.