Unions see progress in SIC talks
TRADE unions at Shetland Islands Council say negotiations surrounding management restructuring are improving following a mass meeting on Thursday.
More than 120 union members turned up at the meeting to discuss the council’s latest moves to cut costs by reducing staffing levels.
Three hundred managers received letters last month inviting them to explore the possibility of voluntary redundancy. Some are also being invited to apply for around 60 new ‘team leader’ posts within the authority.
Fears have grown amongst affected staff since the letters were received that the council has abandoned its policy of doing all it can to avoid compulsory redundancies.
Unions have also complained about poor communications, saying the council had not made it clear what the position was regarding employees’ future.
SIC chief executive Alistair Buchan and head of human resources Denise Bell met with union leaders on Wednesday for more than two hours to discuss their concerns.
GMB branch president Robert Williamson said that members had received assurances that negotiations could continue in a constructive manner.
“It has been a little strained for a little while, but communication is improving and things are starting to move forward,” he said, adding that one of the problems had been the speed at which the process of change within the council is taking place.
The SIC is hoping to save £1 million a year by restructuring its management team. Starting at the top, it has already created two new senior tiers of executive directors and executive managers, and now is looking at the next tier down.
Staff and unions have told management that the further down the authority they go with their restructuring, the more people are affected and the more important it is to handle negotiations properly.
Unison branch chairman Brian Smith said: “The situation is still rather confused, but I think we are heading in the right direction.”
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