Council job cuts are 'humiliating blow' to SNP
Scottish labour has claimed one of the SNP’s key manifesto pledges was in tatters after papers revealed a "flagship" nationalist council has made almost 200 compulsory redundancies.
A report shows that Fife Council made a total of 380 redundancies over the last year and, as reported in The Courier, a further 500 are likely.
Crucially, Scottish Labour are highlighting the fact that 191 of the posts shed last year involved compulsory redundancies — amounting to 39.1 "full-time equivalent" posts.
However Councillor Peter Grant, leader of the SNP administration in Fife, laid the blame for the job losses squarely at Labour's door.
Mr Grant said, "Thanks to Labour's incompetence, we're having to take decisions none of us wants to take."
Earlier a Labour spokesman said, "This is a major blow to one of the SNP's key election pledges of 'no compulsory redundancies' in the public sector.
"A flagship SNP council has been forced to admit that compulsory redundancies have not only been made in the last year alone, but that the option remains firmly on the table."
The SNP manifesto states that the party is "committed to a policy of no compulsory redundancies" and is "working to extend it across the public sector".
The week before, Fife Council announced new plans to shed around 500 staff in a bid to save £16 million. Meanwhile, council human resources manager Sharon McKenzie has admitted, "redundancies can't always be confined to the volunteer pool".
"During 2010/11, we made the equivalent of 39 full-time posts redundant," she said. "As most of the posts involved were filled by people working very short hours, typically about five hours per week, the total number of people affected was 191. Many of these individuals have other jobs at the council."
'Under-funding'
Scottish Labour's Mid Fife and Glenrothes candidate Claire Baker seized on the figures, accusing the Nationalists of "chronically under-funding" councils throughout Scotland.
"This latest revelation comes as a humiliating blow to one of the SNP's key election pledges," she said. "It speaks volumes that one of the SNP's flagship councils has already made 191 compulsory redundancies and is now admitting that more are on the table.
"This is simply further evidence that the SNP have chronically under-funded our councils, which means hardworking people are paying with their jobs and increased charges for services."
Mr Grant responded, "There are obviously no limits to Labour's willingness to distort the truth. They are so shameless they refuse even to accept responsibility for the financial mess they created and which is now forcing all councils, including those run by Labour, to make significant budget savings.
"In a perfect world nobody would ever lose their job. We don't live in a perfect world, we live in a world where London Labour were in charge of the economy for 13 years and we'll all be paying the costs of their failure for at least the next 13.
"It speaks volumes for Labour's total contempt for council workers that their leader didn't even turn up for the meeting when this report was considered.
"The Labour councillors who did bother to turn up did not vote against the report, which may explain why their press statement hides behind an anonymous 'spokesperson' rather than quoting anyone who actually knows what they're talking about.
"The policy of this administration is that we will always look for alternatives to compulsory redundancies, but we have been completely honest with our employees and told them there will be occasions when compulsory redundancies can't be avoided.
Continued...
03.32pm - 27.04.2011 A Nonny Mouse - Dalgety Bay, UK Report This
On compulsory redundancies - some (if not all) of these may have been voluntary in all but name. Some income protection insurers will not pay out if staff take voluntary redundancy, so although staff may have chosen to go they legally are "compulsory" redundant to make sure they get insurance cash.
08.19pm - 30.04.2011 Frances - Glenrothes, Scotland Report This
Staff were all asked who wanted to go and as expected, managers were knocked down in the rush. Morale is low as staff are caught up in the petty political point-scoring by politicians who know very little and understand less.
Add a comment