Imposed job losses 'very much a last resort' for council leader
Dundee City Council administration leader Ken Guild says the cash-strapped authority will only impose compulsory redundancies as a last resort.
Mr Guild.
- By Steven Bell
- Published in the Courier : 17.08.10
- Published online : 17.08.10 @ 05.45pm
The council is seeking £40 million in savings over the next three years — £10 million more than previously estimated — and over the weekend a senior figure in the administration tentatively raised the prospect of imposed job cuts being considered down the line. However, Councillor Guild said there was no immediate threat of compulsory redundancies among the council's 7500 employees.
"Our policy has not changed since day one," he said. "We are opposed to compulsory job losses and have always said that would be very much a last resort.
"We are certainly not at the stage of considering compulsory redundancies. We have an ongoing voluntary redundancy and early retirement scheme which I understand is gathering momentum.
"I have no idea what is over the horizon and we have £40 million in savings to find. We are looking at ways of doing that."
Mr Guild said it was accepted that the number of people working for the council would be reduced but cautioned against speculating on figures.
Suggestions over the weekend that there could be 750 job losses or more were, he said, pure speculation which could cause disquiet among the workforce.
Mr Guild also hit out at rival councillors who have criticised the Changing for the Future board set up to look at the reshaping of services in light of the expected financial pressures. The board will meet behind closed doors — a decision described as "ridiculous" by Labour group leader Kevin Keenan and equally slated by the other parties.
Mr Guild responded, "We are not looking for an open forum for all sorts of political posturing but to bring forward proposals which we can look at dispassionately. We want to see what works and doesn't work in an objective manner, not to have a political free-for-all.
"Anyone with knowledge of management knows that the dynamics of holding such a meeting in private or in public are far different. We're not trying to keep anything from anybody."
Mr Guild said he was inviting political opponents to "come on board" a discussion that will affect "every man, woman and child in the city."
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