Union warns of job losses at council

A union has warned of the risk of compulsory redundancies for council employees after councillors voted to cut redundancy terms.

The SNP leader of East Dunbartonshire Council has accused his Conservative and Liberal Democrat colleagues of treating council employees with “abject contempt” by announcing the decision ahead of consulting the workforce.

Councillors voted to cut the maximum added years for pensionable employees from 10 to three, reduce the maximum discretionary payments from 66 weeks to 30, and introduce a maximum payback period of two years.

The changes were passed at a recent council meeting by 10 votes to 12, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in favour and other councillors against.

The vote instructs management to issue 90-day notices next March to all staff who do not agree to the changes voluntarily, terminating their current contracts and re-engaging them on the new terms and conditions. Unison said the changes were a “train wreck” and could lead to compulsory redundancies.