COUNCIL BUDGET: GMB union raises concerns cuts could hit 'low income, female staff'
The Highland branch of the GMB has sounded the alarm over some cuts of the proposed Highland Council budget which they say could 'clearly impact on the predominantly low income, female staffing group'.
Those cuts are expected to come in the facilities management service and emerged when a money saving measure to reducing cleaning days from five to three emerged though areas like toilets would still be done daily.
Those changes, should they be agreed at the budget meeting this morning are likely to impact rural and island areas worst because that is where 'lower staffing levels exist' and it is 'these posts have the highest number of staff reductions attached'.
Though the council has maintained its no redundancy policy according the leader Councillor Raymond Bremner, it is looking to cut staff through natural turnover and redeployment.
A spokesperson for the GMB Highland and Islands Branch said: “While the trade unions welcome the opportunity to have had briefings from the service chief officers, the GMB do not feel that the council have gone far enough with some savings in the information that was provided, however we have raised a number of questions that have yet to be answered.
“The GMB Highland Branch recognise that the Highland Council is subject of very significant budgetary burdens for the coming year, particularly around running costs and other recurring pressures to deliver services at current levels and note that around £21 million of these budget pressures are linked to inflationary burdens that have not been responded to in the annual Scottish Government settlement.
“We are concerned about the number of full time equivalent posts that have been highlighted in the staff savings, however, we have been assured that these will be managed through redeployment and the natural yearly turnover.
"We are further concerned around the redesign of facilities management services.
“The service is intimating that cleaning services will be reduced, in part to three days per week. The work done in these roles have some of the lowest paid posts in the council, which itself notes will clearly impact on the predominantly low income, female staffing group.
“We are also drawn to the comment that there is a potentially greater impact on rural/island areas where lower staffing levels exist.
"These posts have the highest number of staff reductions attached to the savings although the budget papers do not give the level of detail to fully inform members.”
The special meeting of the Highland Council is being held in the council chamber in Inverness and gets under way at 10.30am.
The papers for the meeting can be found here
