1,000 council staff receive notice of redundancy risk

CHARLIE PARKER

Letters have gone out to tell almost 1,000 Oldham Council staff they are at risk of redundancy.

A briefing note was sent round by chief executive Charlie Parker on Wednesday to almost 1,000 staff in administration, management, communications, and project management, telling them to expect a letter about redundancy.

He said: “There is the potential for there to be 267 fewer posts in these areas. The aim is that reductions will be achieved through voluntary means and expressions of interest are still being invited from people who may wish to be considered for voluntary redundancy.

“However, if your post falls within one of the areas identified your post may potentially be at risk of redundancy.

“There are about 970 staff working across these areas and, if you work in one of these areas, you will receive a letter at home to tell you that you are ‘at risk’ and to explain more.”

The council says it needs 488 redundancies in total this year, and 56 more next year, after it called in consultants KPMG as its efficiency partner.

The convenor for the GMB union, Jim McDermott, said: “This redundancy procedure is a ridiculously protracted. We started talking about this in September, and we are still waiting for the final outcomes.”

The council is also advertising for five new assistant directors at salaries of up to £100,000.

Wednesday’s Guardian newspaper carried an advertisement for five Oldham Council assistant executive directors.

Four were at salaries of up to £80,000 or more for exceptional candidates, and one, in strategic projects and investment, will be paid up to £100,000.


ACAS pay-award ruling

Oldham Council workers have been awarded a 2.75 per cent pay rise for 2008-09 by the arbitration service ACAS.

Last year, national union leaders said they wanted a pay rise of 6 per cent, and the employers offered 2.45 per cent.

There were two days of industrial action which closed schools, offices, and council services.

The ACAS award is binding and is backdated to April 1.

A joint statement by GMB and other public sector unions said: “ACAS recognised that local government workers are among the lowest paid in the public sector and they have been affected significantly by the worsening economic climate.

“We have always argued that local government workers have become the poor relations of the public sector. They have contributed enormously to improving local services and meeting council efficiency targets and they deserve a better deal.

“Cleaners, binmen, school meals workers, librarians, admin and clerical workers, teaching assistants, home care and social workers are among those covered by the award.”