WALTHAM FOREST: Unions' fear over town hall job cuts (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

WALTHAM FOREST: Unions' fear over town hall job cuts

4:13pm Tuesday 7th September 2010 in

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UNIONS are on a collision course with the council over plans to cut jobs as part of sweeping changes at the town hall.

Unison, Unite and the GMB have all accused the council of rushing through the proposals and say the changes will impact on frontline services.

The cabinet, which has said it needs to save £7.2million this financial year and a further £30million by 2013, will discuss the proposals at a meeting next Tuesday (September 14).

The council say the changes will see about 80 jobs lost and save around £2.3million.

But unions estimate nearer 100 posts will go and further cuts are inevitable following the Government’s comprehensive spending review in October.

They also accuse the council of sparing senior management in the shake up while ditching more junior posts, a claim denied by acting council chief executive, Martin Esom.

It is also feared that some staff will simply be re-hired under new job descriptions, with lower wages and increased workloads.

The authority was also criticised for its continued use of expensive consultants when widespread cuts are being pushed through.

The plans mark "phase two" of council cost-cutting exercise following a large reduction in Government funding.

Mark Holland, regional organiser of the GMB, said: "It appears to us that the savings will be made further down the structure and that the deletions at senior level will be replaced by alternative senior posts."

Carolyn Simpson, regional officer for Unite, said: “We are concerned that the actual number of senior posts appears to increase rather than decrease [under the plans]”.

A council report states: “Staffing costs make up a significant proportion of the council’s budget.

“It is therefore important that staffing structures are completely aligned with the council’s priorities.

“In practice this means reducing the number of managerial, support and back office staff as far as is reasonable and reinvesting resources in the front line.”

Meanwhile the Guardian has also learned that the council has been left with a budget shortfall of a further £3million in cash it has already spent following the Government's decision to scrap the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

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