Over 1,000 Council Jobs Face The Axe

More than 1,000 jobs face the axe at crisis-hit Aberdeen City Council as troubleshooters try to balance the books.

The council faces budget cuts of £27million and trade unions say staff across all departments, including managers, gardeners, adult education staff, nursery nurses and care workers could soon be made redundant.

The T&G branch of the Unite union says the authority could save £20million alone by making 1,000 full-time staff, who earn around £20,000 a year, redundant.

Further savings could be made by axing up to 500 part-time posts.

The claims come after chief executives from other local authorities – part of a team of troubleshooters – and party leaders concluded that the authority, which employs around 11,500 people, cannot make savings without a “significant reduction” in staff.

An internal memo acquired by the Press and Journal says “compulsory redundancies may be unavoidable”.

Mike Middleton of the GMB union and Tommy Campbell of the T&G branch of Unite say their members will be “shocked and horrified” to learn they could lose their jobs overnight.

Opposition Labour councillors described the news as a “tragedy” for hardworking men and women who now face uncertain futures.

Deputy council leader Kevin Stewart insisted it was public knowledge that the authority was aiming to move towards having a “smaller, better-paid and better-motivated workforce”.

He said “no figure” had been put on the number of posts which will be shed and no particular sections of the workforce have been identified for job losses.

“This is something which the city council will be working through with the trade unions over the coming months,” said Mr Stewart, leader of the SNP group.

However, the trade unions say the council should be more upfront with its plans.

Mr Middleton said: “Some 2,000 jobs were originally forecasted to be axed around 10 years ago so 1,500 jobs going would not come as a surprise. The problem is how they go about it because, initially, with a 14% turnover of staff, natural wastage, and voluntary severance we were hoping something like this would be planned and managed over a period of time.

“Our members will react with shock and horror that jobs could practically go overnight.

“I am disappointed that the authority has not called in the trade unions to discuss the advice given by the external support group.”

Mr Middleton said it was clear that the council had a “half-cocked” plan to recoup the £27million, which has hit services for vulnerable people and leisure facilities.

Mr Campbell said the T&G should have been notified in February when the budget cuts were set. “The council should have issued the HR100, an official notice to the union and the Department of Trade and Industry, about potential redundancies then because they knew the substantive impact on jobs.”

Labour human resources spokesman Gordon Graham said: “This news will come as a big shock to our staff who are being pushed from pillar to post by this uncaring SNP/ Lib Dem administration.

“It is a tragedy for this city that the administration has taken so long to admit that after 16 months in office the budget they proposed in February was a budget that was never going to work.”

Conservative group leader Alan Milne said: “I would imagine that to make up some of the deficit, a lot of the staff made redundant would be highly paid.”