The following press release was sent to local media on 20th January
Council workers have condemned the County Council’s decision to cut the levels of redundancy pay at a time when hundreds of them are facing redundancy from budget cuts.
UNISON, the biggest union in the County Council, is calling for the Council to rethink their plans.
“Our members are angry the Council is planning to cut jobs and the amount of compensation that they would get for losing their job” said Branch Secretary Jill Turner.
“We have held consultation meetings around the County and we are hearing the same message again and again, it is unfair to try to cut redundancy pay at a time when the council is looking to cut about 500 jobs” she added.
UNISON members at the County Council were being informally balloted about the threat to cut the levels of redundancy pay after negotiations had broken down when, just before Xmas, the Council announced cuts of £21 millions that would mean the loss of “hundreds of jobs” and gave the unions only 3 weeks to respond.
“Our members are returning the ballot papers in large numbers and are overwhelmingly voting in favour of action. Once the indicative ballot closes at noon on 27th January, we will be meeting with our members that lunchtime to announce the result and to launch campaign for a formal ballot for industrial action” said Ms Turner
“If the Council will not return to the negotiating table about the cuts to redundancy pay, and think again about setting a budget that means cutting hundreds of jobs, we will have no option but to ballot our members for industrial action.”
UNISON is calling a lobby of the Cabinet meeting on 8th February that will discuss the budget cuts and the Full Council meeting on 23rd February that sets the budget.
“We want the Council to join us in calling for a proper funding settlement from Whitehall and to look at all projects that have not yet started to see how many of them are vital to service delivery to the public of Notts” added Ms Turner
To see Nottingham Evening Post coverage on 21st Jan click here
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