Proposals for a staff reorganisation at Dundee City Council would be the biggest single change at the authority since its creation in 1996.
That is according to the Tayside regional officer for the public sector union Unison Rory Malone on Wednesday. He has been involved in the consultation on the proposed redeployment of staff as it streamlines its operation and costs.
A report will go before members of the policy and resources committee next Monday and they will be asked to approve plans to move an unknown number of workers into new, larger departments and posts.
Mr Malone said that Unison is not opposed to the move in its present form but will monitor the situation closely once it is implemented. “There are no compulsory redundancies from this. The council will move staff as part of its new structure including the creation of larger departments.”
He added, “It will be very interesting and we want to know if, after all these changes are completed, staff will be asked to do more for the same pay. That is something that we are deeply involved in and will monitor closely.”
The new operational blueprint has come about thanks to a team who found that the policy on filling employment posts has had to be “developed” as the council strives to deliver greater efficiency as well as modernise and improve services.
The council’s report said, “Furthermore it is acknowledged that as a result of organisational change employees may require to be redeployed and the proposed redeployment policy outlines a co-ordinated approach with clear roles and responsibilities.”
Meanwhile Stuart Fairweather, the leisure and communities spokesman for the workers’ union Unite, said that at least 800 employees could be affected by the move. He made it clear that Unite has a similar stance to Unison but pledged to look deeper into the additional pressures staff may face if it is implemented.
“Unite have been central to the discussions,” Mr Fairweather said. “We have been told that the process is hoped to start on July 1 but, in the council’s own words, there won’t be a ‘big bang’. It will be a steady process.”